2020 Calendar (PDF) and Planning Ahead

There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen.

                                                                                                                  -Lenin

Every human generation has its own illusions with regard to civilization; some believe that they are taking part in its upsurge, others that they are witnesses of its extinction.  In fact, it always both flames up and smolders and is extinguished, according to the place and the angle of view. 

                                                                                                                  -Ivo Andric, The Bridge on the Drina

Sometimes I go about in pity for myself, and all the while a great wind is bearing me across the sky.

                                                                                                                   -Indian Proverb

In about five years, I expect to have my mid-life crisis.  Half my life will be over (while I may live past eighty*, I don’t expect that I’ll be getting much done at that age), and I’ll have little to show for it (I sometimes tell myself that I should be operating as though I have only five years left to live, so I need to work harder to accomplishment the goals that will matter most by the time I die.  I tell myself that if life were a race then I’m the guy who fell down and must get up and now run faster than everyone in order to catch up).  I like to aim high, knowing that I’ll land somewhere in the middle.  I like to have a plan A, plan B, and plan C, and usually none of them work out.    I always try to keep and objective view of things so as to not become ungrateful, because I know that even on my worst days many people would kill to be in my situation.   I try to tread lightly, because if you’re not part of the solution you can at least try to avoid being part of the problem.  I try to be mindful of my death, because I don’t want to leave behind a worthless legacy. Doing anything substantial takes time and sacrifice, and I often opt for the easier path by spending my free time doing something I find personally enjoyable (usually outside) than putting my nose to the grindstone and whittling away at large and challenging projects, therefore nothing substantial ever gets done and then I’ve suddenly got to go to work. My jobs contribute to the slow-kill of my soul because, while I don’t mind working (I’m often times on auto-pilot and work like a dolphin sleeps – with half my brain focused and the other half scheming, brainstorming, and developing plans in Aaron-land), I wish I could be doing something more meaningful, and I don’t want to end up like my older co-workers whom I see working into their old age simply because they need the money (this has led me to investing so that at the very least, I can try to be financially successfully by their age.).  One of the things I have going for me is that I am good at looking at calendars and developing plans around future dates.  I may not always stick to those plans, but at least I have an idea of what’s coming up and what I should be striving to achieve.   So I always keep a printable calendar on me (along with a pocket notepad so I almost never forget to write down a valuable thought. Indeed, many of the nuggets of wisdom from this entry were notepad thoughts) so that I can mark what’s happening when.   Below's a screenshot of the calendar (from Anny Studio) and here's a link to the downloadable PDF version of it, just in case you wanted to do the same.  (Also inserted below are some screen shots of the crazy 'ToDo’ lists I keep on me, along with some other papers such as the Geologic Time Scale.  This is onto of all the notes I dictate to myself and keep in my phone.)

Calendar from Anny Studio

*Eighty years is nearing the age in one's life where one has lived through 1,000 full moons.  It's best to assume that you'll probably never get there, so make sure you embrace the full moons you do see.  Like the seasons, like whale migrations, solar and lunar ecplises, and the chances one gets to plant a new crop or garden each year, there are only so many times one has to experience these things before the last chance arrives and then it's curtains for you and me.