I usually wait until at least November to buy next year's calendar. 
Well, calendars.
And yes.
I use two paper calendars.
I'm not going to say still use.
Because for a time I didn't.
Then I crawled back.
Begging.

I love my system.
A big month at a glance.
And a Filofax day on two pages.
The serve completely different purposes.
But share an agenda.
Keeping me dancing with the chaos.

In the Filofax I think ahead to tomorrow.
All the little things I have to do.
Or today.
If I forgot or was too busy
Or not clear 
Last night.

Sometimes in that one 
I write things on a Monday
That I know I might not get to till later in the week.
And when I don't get to them 
I carry them over.
Like a number in an addition column.
And it does feel additive. 

Oh and when I do something that wasn't I the list.
I do sometimes write it down for the joy
Of crossing it off the list. 

On the left on of the two pages
I do actual calculations, write shopping lists
Notes from phone calls.
Sometimes I miss a few days.
Things get busy
Or I'm crashing.
Fine.
I don't get in trouble with the calendar police.
I pull the ruler out.
Blipcka bleh blick.
That sound.
It's a little violent.
The way linear time always is.
Jamming what is cycles and spirals
Into the ever flowing forward 
Narrow path.
And then I click it back in.
To today.
Ah.
Breathe.
A transition to now.

But it's funny.
I bought the satisfyingly beautifully crafted cover 
At a time when my finances were 
Um, challenging.
It was an out of proportion purchase. 
But I was really reorganizing my life.
And knew I needed a better system to do it. 
I was fretting about what kind of system would work.
And I also was working a new
One day at a time program.
And I had a light bulb moment
I could have a calendar system
That actually reinforced that principal.
Every day
One day at a time
I would literally 
Turn over a new leaf. 

That cover is eleven years old now.
Still going strong.
And putting the new loose-leaf pages 
Onto the cold metal binder rings
That first week in January
Is one of my new-year new-me things.
I especially love it because
New-year new-me
But same old cover.
New me.
But still me. 

#change

Which brings me to the monthly.
Which is what I really came here to share.
But then
The daily got loud. 
As the daily often does.

So I usually wait till maybe November.
I'm always needing it at least by then
For show dates.
And you know, planning ahead.
Because you can one day at a time yourself
Into a crisis situation 
If you also don't at least sometimes 
Make a plan 
Without worry
If you can.
With the thought of shaping beautiful year.
More than of controlling things. 

In that monthly calendar 
I usually only write one
Maybe two
Almost never more than three things
In a day.
The tentpoles of the day.
The non negotiable 

Well I was very excited to get next year started.
Because 1/18/22 
Is publication day
For So You Need To Decide. 
And though I usually shlep tp Office Depot
Or maybe Staples
I just popped not Amazon
Don't be mad
And orded exactly what I needed in like 5 minutes.

When you order on line there's often a little surprise.
Sometimes pleasant.
Sometimes un. 
Like ew - is that what that material feels like?
In this case.
Well.
On the cover of the calendar
A big sticker.
Besides some descriptive stuff
The sticker had only one point to make.
This calendar came with a guarantee.
Of what?
Guaranteed to last all year.

What?
I couldn't stop laughing.
That's like water 
Being guaranteed to be wet.
Just so - not extra.
I started to think about how most of the things in my life are.
Extra.
Shiny or glittery
Or tiny or huge
Special in some way.
And how everything is either
Fine or shine.
And in most cases I like shine.
But with my month at a glance.
I like it basic.
Not into those calendars
With up beat messages from Depak Chopra
Or Betty Boop.
I'll bring my own up beat.
Thanks.
I've got the pencil.
You just maintain your composure.
Your solid calm charm.

 And here we go.
Headed into that last round.
Before the holidays.
Or if you are reading it later.
Into whatever season or patch.

Maybe the road rise to meet you.
May you have things to calendar
And space to breathe between.
May all your days come
With the guarantee of shine.