So the world didn’t end. December 21 came and went without any hint of the apocalypse, and here we are. Sure, some people may have gone out and made bad decisions excused by “it’s the end of the world, man!! This won’t matter!”, but those people found out that indeed their choices still existed and had effects when they woke up on December 22. Here are some tips for dealing with the aftermath of the world’s existence:

1. Clean up. If you threw a party or hosted a gathering or were just home by yourself, odds are that believing in doomsday meant to you that cleaning was optional. Newsflash: not true. Not only did humanity not go extinct, but neither did rats or bugs or other types of vermin – and they’ll come for the food you carelessly left on your kitchen floor. Unless you want to room with a raccoon, pull out a broom and the 409.
2. Make plans. So maybe you didn’t go crazy on the 21 and were responsible. Way to keep yourself together! But could not have been doing anything last night been the beginning of a series of days you left unplanned due to possible non-existence? You can’t stay holed up at home for all of break, so pull out your calendar and schedule something to do until school resumes.
3. Holidays. Now that the world is still on, holidays and birthdays still will come. Maybe you ditched out on buying your brother a Christmas gift because a. “there won’t be a Christmas” and/or b. you didn’t feel like spending $20 on a DVD. Option b. might still apply, but that’s a pretty lame reason. This applies, obviously, not just to Christmas: December and January birthdays are still happening, parties you should bring gifts for the host to, etc. are all coming at normal speed.
4. Exercise caution. Think to yourself: did I really think the world was going to end? If the answer is yes, you should probably reexamine your decision-making skills. Why would you trust the Mayan calendar over, maybe, the ones that get released every year? If the weather for Saturday is being posted, what makes you believe that on Friday the planet will be decimated? Is it because John Cusack watched death and destruction in the movie version of December 21, 2012? Get in touch with reality and work on your concept of chance.

So good luck with the aftermath of your continued existence, and stay tuned to the Banner for more tips on how to live in the real world!