Date and Time Please
Another year has passed and another shall start anew. Traditional year end happenings of light shows, religious events, and joyous celebration that marks the success of the world going around the Sun one more time and cheer on its journey anew on January 1. To mark this momentous occasion people around the world dance, sing, cheer, feast, and make promises to 'Do Better'.
Another tradition that most everyone in the 1st world countries do at this time of optimism and anticipation is to acquire a new calendar to mark the upcoming year. In fact, there are whole retail establishments dedicated to the selling of calendars. These 'Pop Ups' are transient as the Time they sell and exist only for six weeks or so.
In these almost spiritual manifestations of society's need to look forward and beyond the present are calendars of dogs, puppies, cats, kittens, sports figures, girl figures, flowers, ships, weather, cars, toys, and recipes. Some have stickers, others do not. Some have tear off pages and some are simply flip ups. However, if you are of the philosophical ilk that believes the price of a calendar does not dictate the future you can always pick one up at no charge at most gas stations, grocery stores, pharmacies or tire shops for your "Free Time".
Some calendars have Sunday at the beginning of the week and others have Monday. Some holidays are printed in red, some mark good fishing and others mark the phases of the moon or good planting times.
Sometimes there are on the back pages space for Important Numbers and Addresses. There are sometimes Time Zone maps and small replica's of last year's and the year that will be coming next for those who want to remember or to plan far ahead (I always like to know what day my next birthday will fall on).
Calendars say a lot about the households they are in.
For some, one of the most important aspects of a calendar is the size of the space allotted to each date for writing in important appointments, anniversaries, and birthdays, meetings, club dates, tournaments, and oil changes.
In other houses the calendar may not have a a single mark on them and others are left languishing hung up on the wall with the current page three months in arrears. Proof that one can sometimes get so busy that the passing of time is only lived and not observed.
I have a recipe calendar from 30 years ago that I kept because someday I will find that one bit of ingredient in the local Coop so that I can 'do it right and not substitute.
I also have a calendar that at one time belonged on my Mother- in- law's kitchen wall with little notes marking who she had let have 3 jars of pickles (not that she resented the pickles but because she wanted the jars back), and also when the wheat was put in on the 'rented' land.
These paper recordings of personal history reflect our values and priorities. They indicate what and who we value even more so I believe than what our Google History reveals because it takes more than a click to actually record Time and Dates. It takes forward thought and planning on a visual spreadsheet that is as accessible as just looking at the calendar on the wall.
May this New Year be filled with memories of Joyous Times as you look back on your own calendar and relive some lovely times made more real because they were written pen in hand in concrete anticipation.
A short calendar story. I once went to visit a friend's house on January 1. My friend's Mother had 12 calendars--all different--turned open on the kitchen table. Each calendar was at a different month and with the help of my friend and myself she climbed on a step ladder and hung all 12 calendars up on the wall side by side...January to December. The year at a glance. Each calendar different . Each picture different. All sizes and all types. Each calendar forever distained to remain at the chosen month for the rest of its year of value.
Another year has passed and another shall start anew. Traditional year end happenings of light shows, religious events, and joyous celebration that marks the success of the world going around the Sun one more time and cheer on its journey anew on January 1. To mark this momentous occasion people around the world dance, sing, cheer, feast, and make promises to 'Do Better'.
Another tradition that most everyone in the 1st world countries do at this time of optimism and anticipation is to acquire a new calendar to mark the upcoming year. In fact, there are whole retail establishments dedicated to the selling of calendars. These 'Pop Ups' are transient as the Time they sell and exist only for six weeks or so.
In these almost spiritual manifestations of society's need to look forward and beyond the present are calendars of dogs, puppies, cats, kittens, sports figures, girl figures, flowers, ships, weather, cars, toys, and recipes. Some have stickers, others do not. Some have tear off pages and some are simply flip ups. However, if you are of the philosophical ilk that believes the price of a calendar does not dictate the future you can always pick one up at no charge at most gas stations, grocery stores, pharmacies or tire shops for your "Free Time".
Some calendars have Sunday at the beginning of the week and others have Monday. Some holidays are printed in red, some mark good fishing and others mark the phases of the moon or good planting times.
Sometimes there are on the back pages space for Important Numbers and Addresses. There are sometimes Time Zone maps and small replica's of last year's and the year that will be coming next for those who want to remember or to plan far ahead (I always like to know what day my next birthday will fall on).
Calendars say a lot about the households they are in.
For some, one of the most important aspects of a calendar is the size of the space allotted to each date for writing in important appointments, anniversaries, and birthdays, meetings, club dates, tournaments, and oil changes.
In other houses the calendar may not have a a single mark on them and others are left languishing hung up on the wall with the current page three months in arrears. Proof that one can sometimes get so busy that the passing of time is only lived and not observed.
I have a recipe calendar from 30 years ago that I kept because someday I will find that one bit of ingredient in the local Coop so that I can 'do it right and not substitute.
I also have a calendar that at one time belonged on my Mother- in- law's kitchen wall with little notes marking who she had let have 3 jars of pickles (not that she resented the pickles but because she wanted the jars back), and also when the wheat was put in on the 'rented' land.
These paper recordings of personal history reflect our values and priorities. They indicate what and who we value even more so I believe than what our Google History reveals because it takes more than a click to actually record Time and Dates. It takes forward thought and planning on a visual spreadsheet that is as accessible as just looking at the calendar on the wall.
May this New Year be filled with memories of Joyous Times as you look back on your own calendar and relive some lovely times made more real because they were written pen in hand in concrete anticipation.
A short calendar story. I once went to visit a friend's house on January 1. My friend's Mother had 12 calendars--all different--turned open on the kitchen table. Each calendar was at a different month and with the help of my friend and myself she climbed on a step ladder and hung all 12 calendars up on the wall side by side...January to December. The year at a glance. Each calendar different . Each picture different. All sizes and all types. Each calendar forever distained to remain at the chosen month for the rest of its year of value.
