Top Ten Posts of 2011

Per usual, the end of the year quite nearly escaped my watchful eye. Nonetheless, like many, I am hopeful for the possibilities of a new year, if only because 2012 isn't 2011.

In terms of output, I'm sad to say that my blogging could not have been much worse. I had my least productive year since Pax Plena began - way back in late 2004 when I churned out a paltry four posts in seven days. Still, all was not lost. I would like to think that the quality (and length) of my posts has improved even if the frequency has somewhat declined.

Tomorrow, I intend to share my New Year's resolutions and the like. But for now, please enjoy the following rundown of top ten posts, arbitrarily selected and categorized by yours truly.

And, as always, may the best of 2011, be the worst of your 2012. Happy New Year!

1. Some Thoughts About My Sister

Best Post.

So, last summer when she called to tell me she was engaged, and early last fall when she called to tell me she was pregnant, I got a little misty-eyed, knowing that my kid sister wasn't a kid anymore, but an amazing, beautiful, competent woman - who is now an amazing, beautiful competent wife and soon-to-be mother.

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2. Bike Ride Along the Rillito River

Most Read.

I suppose in a perfect world, a river bike path, would run along side an actual river with water in it. But this is Tucson, and things are seldom perfect in the desert. Truth is, calling our Rillito River a "river" is a bit misleading. In reality, it's a dry sandbar where a perennial river once flowed.

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3. Obligatory Royal Wedding Post

Funniest.

As an American, I'm genetically predisposed to loathe all things 'monarch.' But rumor has it that Prince Bill married a Muggle (or commoner) across the pond, and this is allegedly a big deal.

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4. Book Review: Jesus, My Father, The CIA, and Me

Best Book Review.

As I noted, giving life a sincere rifling isn't an easy undertaking. Ours is a veritable age of depression. Whether it's feeling inadequate for being stuck in the 99%, or latent concerns about the future of humanity, we homo sapiens tend to have more skeletons in our closet than Conrad Murray after a fresh supply of Propofol.

But somehow, Cron's memoir reassures readers that this is ok - that wading through the bullshit of life isn't a journey taken alone, but something we all do to cope with the complexity or our own existence. Somewhere between page one and the end, readers come to understand that they are reading Cron's piece, but the themes explored could well be their own.

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5. Making the Case for Lent

Most Spiritual.

My wife and I started attending an Episcopal Church recently. In all honesty, it's probably the first church we've both been enthusiastic about attending since we got married.

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6. Little Pricks

Most Provocative, Second Most Spiritual.

I can't help but think the cactus has it right. The little prick. At risk of being over broad, the verse above strikes me as the simplest statement of Christianity ever written. At its core, the message is a compact one of assurance, written to all those twisting in the winds of the stock market, written to all those questioning whether their education is worth the price, and written to all those forced to watch Netflix Streaming because they cancelled their Cable TV package.

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7. Rock Bottom

Most Humbling.

There, winking in the sun, was exactly the bowl I needed - if only I would dumpster dive to retrieve it.

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8. The Meaningful Life

Most Philosophical.

Biologically, we call the creative process procreating. Commercially, we call the creative process innovating. And when we create simply for the sake of creating, we call the creative process art. When the products of any of these processes are exceptional, we call the general result, beauty. And this is what makes life meaningful.

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9. Quiet Friday Nights

Most Depressing.

This is good news really, but not all that good for my pseudo-existentialism. What's next? Worsening unemployment? America shutting down the space program? Lost tribes still in the Amazon? Casey Anthony acquitted of murder? It's all more than my wine-drenched nerves can take.

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10. Approaches to Finding Contentment

Best Analysis.

I'm not sure that either extreme 'corners the market' on finding contentment. Aside from being qualitative rather than quantitative, contentment is almost an entirely subjective state of being. My dog finds contentment in her red Kong Toy. Some people claim that they can escape their troubles simply by riding a bike. Others try to find contentment by preserving as much of the present as possible, even to the point of absurdity.

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