2013, a blank calendar
Our family’s calendar is hung in the tiny walkway between our kitchen and dining room. I love this spot in the house, even though it’s mostly only good for passing through. The hall is sunny, thanks to the northern-facing window overlooking our side yard. I have two little cat figurines there in the windowsill, and occasionally a piece of art class sculpture that my son or daughter made will find a place of honor there. The naked window faces the pantry, and I constantly remind my kids and husband to keep the pantry door closed so that it will stay cool and dark. They rarely listen, so I shut the door behind them.
A few years ago, I hung our calendar, a big monthly flip calendar, always of my choosing, on the bare wall to the left of the pantry door. The calendar I choose each year is beautiful, and this is why I have chosen it. My calendar’s beauty – and its promise of much anticipated occasions and events to come – gives me reason to pause in the sunlight, lingering for a few moments while I glance over the month’s daily boxes and my scribblings within them.
Every year on January 1st, without fail, I perform the ritual changing of the calendar.
This afternoon, while the kids were occupied with a game of pretend involving dolls and horses, and while my husband was away visiting his father in the hospital (he’s improving, thankfully), I took the old calendar down and pulled out my new one, pristine in its shrink wrap. I removed the wrap from the 2013 calendar and placed it on the table beside the 2012 calendar. Beginning with January, I transferred important birthdays to the new calendar, marking each with a little balloon. Month by month, I filled in school holidays, upcoming trips, and anniversaries.
As I flipped the pages of each calendar, one month at a time, I contemplated the year that just ended. 2012 was filled with many wonderful moments and experiences, many of which I’ve posted about here in this space. My travels took me to New York City, Austin, Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Atlanta. We went on our first cruise as a family, and we took the kids to California for the first time. My husband and I celebrated fifteen years of marriage over the summer, and in the fall, our son started kindergarten and our daughter started third grade. And somehow, despite feeling several years younger, I turned forty along the way.
The year had its share of heartache and sadness, as each year tends to have. For me, though, the good parts outweighed and shined brighter than the bad parts.
My 2013 calendar is no longer unmarked, but neither is it filled. Each month holds promise of things to come and chances for memories to be made. And while not all of the events on the calendar will be significant — certainly, a trip to the eye doctor is no cause for celebration — there may be some gems that wind up on there, written in black ink as time goes by.
I will spend cherished time with family and with friends. There will be trips, both for work and for fun, and there may be a party or two or three. There will be meals cooked and shared with people I love. There will be personal growth and inspiration and creativity. (I am counting on these.) There will be love and joy, and there is likely to be a smattering of sadness and tears – but that’s okay. That’s the way of life. That is living.
Mostly, there is potential in this new year, 2013. Potential and possibility for wonderfulness.
There is really nothing more exciting than an empty calander filled with potential!
Love this post! Happy 2013!
🙂 Sarah
http://www.thepatchkprincess.com
I just adore your calender — I hope you don’t mind if I ask where it is from? I love the clean slate start that a new year/calender holds. Happy 2013!
It’s from Paper Source, online. In the text of the post, I have a link to it!
That’s a cute calendar! I just love scribbling in a new calendar/planner for the first time…feels like a fresh new start!
I do much the same when I remove and replace the pages in my ring-bound calendar-planner. Something about those new pages, all fresh and clean, just seems to hold so much promise. Best wishes to you and yours for the Happiest of New Years!
Such a lovely way to look at the new year.
Happy new year – we have a blank calendar sitting at home and I’ve been reluctant to write anything in it, still wanting to hold on to the last year but this post has given me the encouragement I need to embrace 2013 and all it might hold.
Beautiful post! Best wishes to you and your family for a beautiful and blessed New Year.