Monday, September 15, 2008

Calendars

Have you ever noticed how important calendars are to our daily lives? Or am I the exception in that I check mine every day? Whether or not, I was checking mine this morning and find doctor's appointments, breakfast dates, days where I have to take a friend to his doctor, pacemaker phone checks, other very important stuff and one item in particular that caught my eye:- September 22, 2008 - "Last Quarter - Autumn Begins". Wow! How did this year get away from us? We soon will be seeing - "Only 60 shopping days left till Christmas". (Get your wallet ready.)
Fall.
Bright colored leaves.
Crisp mornings for the dog walk.
Cool temperatures, open windows and lower electric bills.
I for one am happy to see the Fall Season arrive. Texas has a lot going for it, but the summer heat is not one of my favorites. I think the older I get the less I like to see day after day of 98 - 100 degrees on the weather forecast. But the reality is that, like Hurricane Ike, there is nothing we can do about it.
But would we know it was Fall without the calendar to remind us? That question is like the weather forcast predicting rain when we can look out the window and see it raining. Or the old comic line from TV - Tonight's forcast -- dark! That's good. I guess the point is that I wonder how much we let the calendar dictate what we do in our lives. Perhaps better stated; how wouuld our lives be different if we were not so constrained by time? We have all heard of sacrificing the important on the altar of the urgent. Like the sign on the copy center window: "Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency at this copy center." Now don't get me wrong, there is a place for calendars in our lives. After all, if there wasn't a calendar how would we know when to pay the electric bill? Or how would we know it was Sunday and time to go to church? So all in all, I guess calendars have their place. I just wonder if we would live our lives differently if we were not quite as addicted to the calendar? Just wondering...

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

As one who is not addicted to a calendar, I can testify that life would is much more haphazard and carefree, but not in a way that is conducive to lower stress, especially if you're married. ;)

REVIVE said...

I would love to live free of a calendar. When I read Thoreau's WALDEN with my AP students, I become envious of his "quiet life." But to effectively live like that, I would also need to live free of a telephone, television, computer, etc. :)
Shari Hedstrom

Sam Cotter said...

I thought all of us old retired types didn't have to live by a calendar . . BUT . . I've changed my mind . . especially as it relates to doctor's appointments.