Y’all, it took me a LONG TIME this year to hang my beloved annual wall calendar. In the Before Times, I would’ve hung this baby up by July so I could start peering into the next calendar year. I would have been planning my travel schedule, my Girl Scout meetings, my personal vacations, and ALL OF THE THINGS. But I couldn’t do it all Fall. I just couldn’t see around the bend. As a workshop participant recently put it, “You mean the school year doesn’t end on December 18?” Indeed, January is coming, and it is coming fast.
So, I surrendered. I surrendered to the unknowing, and I hung my calendar.
I even got an extra-large one this year. And as of right now, it has exactly two things on it. My kids’ birthdays – in February and in May. These dates, at least, are certain. (PS Why keep a huge wall calendar when all of your stuff is in Outlook, Maia? It’s the only way I can see the big picture of the entire year!)
But even in the face of uncertainty, some things are still happening. I’m cautiously filling in more dates with my treasured Vis a Vis markers, starting with:
- Family and friends’ birthdays
- Together (Online) trainings from January – March. Right now, that’s as far ahead as we are scheduling around here.
- Girl Scout meetings. They may be outdoors or they may be on Zoom. Either way, The Together Troop Leader is on it!
- Dates taken from the published public school district calendar, e.g. all holidays, “Spring Break,” and the last day of school. My kids remain 100% remote learners.
- Tentative dates for my annual summer trip to the homeland (aka the coast of Maine).
- Dates for my kids attending sleepaway camp. Fingers crossed they can go this year!
It is not a lot, but it is at least a start for 2021. And with that, I’m looking forward to some Ginger Crinkle Cookies and other cozy holiday treats.
What about you? Have you peered around the bend? What have you calendared so far?