Commentary by Danielle Wilson
The unthinkable has happened, people. I’ve lost my calendar! My reliable, omnipotent, executive planner is GONE. And though I’m pretty sure it’s sitting on a shelf next to clearance candles at Bed Bath & Beyond, a phone call proved otherwise. What am I to do?
I’m not exaggerating when I say that that calendar is the only reason this family functions at a reasonably acceptable level. Appointments, practices, rehearsals, meetings, birthdays, games, competitions, parties, deadlines, surgeries, anniversaries — every single detail of our lives are in that calendar. In fact, if something fails to be placed in “the calendar,” it’s essentially dead to us. It won’t be remembered, and it certainly won’t happen. It just won’t.
So I’m in full panic mode. I know two visits to the orthodontists are coming up, but I’m not sure which day or for which kid. I also know January has eight family birthdays, and apart from my twin sister’s and my niece’s on the same day, I’ve got nothing! Sweet mercy, what am I to do?
Of course, my oldest thinks I’m silly for trusting such a monumental task to pen and paper when my phone could act more efficiently — and with better back-up capabilities. But I’m not going to lie. I look forward to sitting down at the start of each January and planning the year out. I like seeing how close spring break is. I like flipping flip to July and penciling in a prospective beach vacation. I like discovering what day Halloween falls on, and then considering whether a personal day will be in order. The experience isn’t the same on a Samsung 6.
More importantly, though, I love that my old calendars serve as physical reminders of the memories my family makes throughout the years. To know that when my kids grow up and have children of their own, I’ll be able to pull out 2016 and tell them all about their dad’s broken nose or their mom’s marching band championship. So I have to find that calendar. The alternative is unthinkable.
Peace out.
