and yes, i have a calendar app on my phone. and i share my google calendar with everyone under the sun in case any relatives want to catch one of the boys activities. but mostly i use MY phone for the reminders. yes i have an appointment in 30 minutes. thank you. yes i need to pick up milk. thank you. but i cant look at my phone and get a BIG PICTURE. and for some reason, i can not function without one.
“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” A.A. Milne
i also (because i am crazy) like to look at my calendar before it gets all junked up with the zillion GAMES we play. right now, i can look at it and the whole year is full of possibilities......i can plan a vacation or go to the spa or go to NY. of course that's all in my head. because i'm having a hard time finding an actual DAY to get anywhere once lacrosse starts (um, march 1 in case you are wondering when i officially start tearing my hair out). but right now....this minute, my calendar is free of lacrosse, basketball and softball. you wouldn't think those 3 little things would make a difference. but boy do they. those pretty, empty weeknights fill right up. and those blank weekends disappear. and then an even CRAZIER part of me LOVES THAT too. its like a giant jigsaw puzzle i get to figure out every year. how do i make it all fit??? how do i make sure that i am getting everywhere and everyone is doing what they want?? including me. i'm the first to admit that my softball is a giant time sucker. especially from july-september. but the awesome thing is that i get to take that beautiful partially filled out calendar to my meeting this weekend and start filling those empty spaces!! go ahead....say it....'CRAZY'. i know. its just not the same when i type a reminder into my phone. not at all!!
i think in todays day and age of run run run, of which i am certainly guilty, having that calendar sitting in front of me reminds of all the time i have that is available. and when i fill it up, i fill it up with the things that make us happy. things that we are choosing to do. things that are important or fun. so that the time in the calendar takes on meaning. and i can look at it and get a feel for the big picture. i guess too, because my paper calendar is just for my family, it doesnt really stress me out. there are no work appointments in there or gym things. its just vacations and games and trips. and 90% of that stuff i really look forward to. when i look at my phone calendar, most days i just want to pull the covers back over my eyes. for some ridiculous reason, i get a daily google email at 4am every morning with a list of all of the things in my google calendar for that day. which in and of itself isnt SO bad, except then i have to merge it with my work calendar. then it starts to be no fun. added to that are the normal everyday things - orthodontist, grocery, blah blah blah. my daily calendar/reminder system is like this big giant weight that hangs around my neck. constantly ordering me to do the next thing on my list. it beeps at me and lights up. its like having an annoying alarm clock in my pocket all day. it would be one thing if it reminded to do things AND helped get them done. but as it is, its just a nag. which is awesome. this may be why i am no longer allowed to have any kind of insurance on my phones. they tend to fall in coffee. or beer.
Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain. ~J.K. Rowling
my paper calendar doesnt bother me. it doesnt beep at me or light up. it just sits there. in my bag. full of potential. i guess its not so much a calendar, as a planner. its all a part of that blank slate that comes with the new year. i get to CHOOSE what goes into it. i get to fill all of those empty spaces with whatever i deem fit. its like a brand new opportunity to reprioritize. i put my running stuff in there FIRST this year. last year, i put it in last. let's see if it makes a difference? i do know that by putting it in first, it has a rank in my head. its not just something i do when i can squeeze it in. its something im planning for. and counting on. so the places it takes up on the calendar are meaningful. i know that's pretty serious stuff for a plastic binder full of paper, but there you go. my paper calendar represents my year. or what i hope my year will be. it highlights the important points, so they jump out at you. events stand out from one another. and they serve as both motivation and reminder. my paper calendar doesnt nag me. it encourages me. crazy or not, there it is. it makes me happy.
whether or not you have a silly hangups like me or not, i hope however you are planning to look at this new year, you do it with an open mind and a positive spirit. i hope whatever moves you to fill up your blank spaces brings you satisfaction and joy. and i hope you carry a bit of the passion you feel today throughout your new year.
We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce
No comments:
Post a Comment