Walking in the mall today I noticed a seasonal kiosk selling calendars, and it got me thinking. Actually my first thought was will that vendor be back a year from now as the paper calendar goes the way of landlines, CDs, and telephone books, but that’s for a different blog. Regardless of what form we use, a calendar affords us the opportunity to look back over the past year.
And the effect can be chilling.
Our 2013 calendar – digital or paper – reminds us that we had a colonoscopy in August. Remember that day?
And that the Tuesday night after Labor Day we had dinner with an old college friend at Amada. So that was the name of the restaurant.
And that two glorious weeks in May were spent traveling throughout Israel with our family. Was it really that long ago?
It’s a strange perspective to replay a life already lived. Sometimes it brings relief. Our colonoscopy was negative and we’re cleared for another 10 years. Or sadness. Our friend became ill later in the year. Or wistfulness. When will we get to travel as a family again?
At best, it can motivate. We took a train into New York last October to see Book of Mormon. We have no plans to visit New York this year. Maybe we should make them.
Otherwise, revisiting the past is a little like reading old news. It’s already history, our history, and nothing we can do will alter it.
As the saying goes: “The only time you should ever look back is to see how far you’ve come” – author unknown.
So don’t look back. It’s a grand new year!
And I hope a very happy one for you.
