Michael D. Davis.

Six deaths and a wedding sum up how 2025 is going for me so far, and I didn’t even go to the wedding. I don’t believe in bad years or months, but man, oh man, has this been a doozy.

I believe in moments, not bad days because it is my belief that an entire day can’t be bad. Of course, it can be if you want it to be, if you really want it to be you can have an entire epoch of horribleness, but I don’t think you have to. On one of my worst days, I saw my sister trip and stumble and curse, which immediately made me happy. The rest of the day may have been hell, but watchin’ her nearly take a header gave me a little smile.

Last Sunday is a perfect example of the year so far. It was the day of a family funeral and my Father paced outside for 20 minutes before we left. His pacing had nothing to do with the funeral, he’s always the first one outside for a family trip.

If we were driving down the street as a family he’d be outside waiting for us, ready to go. This annoying habit is what started the day.

When we got to the funeral home we went to see the deceased before joining the extended family in another room. Perched inside the casket with a few other items was a realistic stuffed monkey. I know of no other way to say that. Its wide glass eyes, frayed brown hair, and eerie Mona Lisa smile have stayed with me. Its image keeps popping up in my head at odd moments like a clown out of a jack in the box.

After the monkey, we joined the extended family. In a room packed with people, I believe I knew less than seven of them and three of them I’d arrived with. Cookies and deli meat were consumed, and I kept asking my cousin how his game of mahjong was going even though I knew he was playing a puzzle.

When everyone was directed into the main room to start the funeral, we were asked if we were family or friends. We answered “family” and were directed to a certain place to sit. We take our places on the left side of the room, time passes and the rest of the family comes in, and sits on the right side of the room.

As the funeral starts I whisper, “Is it too late to switch sides?” To which my Ma responds with a quick, “Shut up.” And I unconvincingly turned a laugh into a cough. Something that none of the four of us managed to notice was the sign on the seat on the right side of the room that said family. That’s the luck.

When the funeral was all over and we were headed out of town, we decided to make a day of it and go to Ames. I Google mapped this comic book store in town and directed my sister who was driving.

By some miracle, we made it in one piece. Now, as much as I love comic books I’d only ever been to one other comic book store before, one time. So, as Ma and the Old one sat in the car me and my sister adventured forward. I pushed the glass door open and I could hear angels singing.

Marvel, DC, Image, and Dark Horse were as far as the eye could see. Superman, Batman, Iron Man, and the Hulk were all frolicking in the same playground. I don’t know how long I was there because it was a bit of a blur of glee, but I ended up leaving with four items.

From there we went to a bookstore. It being a Sunday, the store was rather busy with trendy college kids. The Old One walked in with his tank of a Carhartt coat on, did one loop, and went out without a purchase. The works of Lee Child, Louis L’Amour, and a big book on the history of tanks apparently weren’t in stock. The cherry on top here was there was a busker outside doing his best impression of an ill cat taking electronic tips. Ma wanted to give him a dollar to knock it off.

The reason this day is a good example of my year so far is because of its unevenness. Overall it was a heavy, dour day, but It had both its good moments and its bad.

Giggling at a picture of a dog wedding, or a picture of my sister as a baby that popped up during the 20-minute funeral slide show, good moment. The monkey, bad moment.

The comic book store, good moment. The bookstore, well, I don’t know how to calculate that one. Watching the Old One brush past some hipster-looking 20-somethings in the fantasy section looking as out of place as a squirrel in an aquarium was pretty funny.

Six deaths and a wedding that I didn’t go to. It sums up the year so far, but, hey, it’s only February.