lifestyle revolution

This year I have had a really hard time knowing what I have to do, what I'm supposed to be doing, when I have an exam/paper due, when my students have exams/papers due, when bills need to be paid, how many jobs I have, what kind of family-events-I'm-likely-to-forget-and-double-book are coming up, and what kind of music I need to be preparing for church.

Unbeknownst to me, I had the solution to all of the above problems within arm's reach all the time.

At Christmas I was given a wall calendar, which I promptly (and for reasons I cannot now fully recall) Scotch-taped to the door of my closet. It stayed open to January until about March, and has been open to March ever since.

Meanwhile, also unbeknownst to me, and often to my embarrassment and regret, I have not been doing what I have to do, doing what I'm supposed to be doing, writing what I need to turn in, studying for exams, drafting exams or grading papers, budgeting for bills, remembering my jobs, allowing for family-events-I'm-likely-to-forget-about, or preparing church music (until the night before).

It got so bad, I almost forgot my birthday.

This morning I was lying in bed trying to wake up and, behold, I raised my eyes and, lo, above my head, plunged firmly into the security of the wall, I beheld a nail. "Little nail, who nailed thee?" I thought. Then I remembered: "DUH! That is my calendar nail! That is where my WALL CALENDAR should hang!" And with great swiftness I removed myself to my closet, rescued the neglected wall calendar, still faithfully displaying the erstwhile month of March, and restored said calendar to its rightful office.

And there was great rejoicing.

And [ideally] I recorded and remembered all my obligations happily ever after.