It’s a simple task, but it can symbolize so much–taking down the family wall calendar from last year and putting up a new one. At some point I started saving our family wall calendars. After my kids outgrew their baby books and before iPhones made it easy to take pictures of school performances, lacrosse games, and vacations, I figured saving our old calendars would at least give us something to look back on.
:
Will keeping our 2015 calendar around ever spark joy?
There are appointments I’d rather forget, and a few days I’d prefer to block out altogether, but there also are celebrations and vacations and good times with friends and family.
Maybe looking back on 2015 won’t ever spark joy, but it could remind me of how we pulled together and made it through.
Maybe looking back on 2015 won’t ever spark joy, but it could remind me that even a rough year had its bright spots.
Maybe looking back on 2015 won’t ever spark joy, but it could remind me–the next time I’m struggling through hard times–that there is reason to have hope.
Are you happy to turn the page on 2015?
Have you properly folded your underwear?
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as here it can be so tempting to turn the page really damn fast BUT Ive learned, when I do, I can accidentally inevitable repeat what Im turning from.
Here's hoping our 2016s are fantastic.
I know we've worked hard enough–they should be!
It can be tempting to always look ahead at what is coming and not appreciate the moment can’t it? We had lots of great family memories from 2105. Here’s to a great 2016 🙂
So happy to be in 2016, but yes, 2015 wasn’t all bad either, and there are plenty of people who had it much worse than me.
2015 was a mostly good year for me. We did have that drama with my son, but the year ended on a high note with him graduating early from high school. 2016 is not starting off well. I hope that it’s all good from here.
Congrats on his graduation! I hope 2016 settles down soon.
Here we came away with a darned great 2015. I save calendars as well. They’re interesting to look back on because they remind me what I was going through at the time, but that said, I’m not sure I look back at them enough to make it worthwhile to save them. What I do enjoy is vacation journaling. We often go back to remember really good times. And the entries are almost always hilarious.
That sounds like a great idea. I figure that someday I will be cleaning/sorting, come across the calendars, and sit down with them for some reminiscing. 😉
I don’t throw away the calendars because in looking back I know what year it was that such and such happened. I used to make family calendars from trips and highlights from the year before. Now I make a calendar with pictures of my cats.
I love New Years and fresh starts, but I also love to reflect on the good, the bad, and the ugly from the prior year to help me make this year even better! Honestly, I do throw away my calendars {after I’ve transferred all of the important dates onto this year’s, of course!} And yes, my drawers are all folded correctly {and I love how much I can fit now that I use the KonMari method!}
OMG, will you come do mine? I have no patience for folding!
Good question. But more now than ever, I see each year as a gift. No matter the burdens, I’m still here to be Mom to my kids, wife to my husband, daughter to my parents.
I love your perspective. It really is an important one.
I love this and your perspective on this. It’s so tempting to just turn the page and throw out everything else. And nope, I don’t fold my underwear properly! Or my shirts either apparently.
LOL, I try to fold my shirts. Technical fabric is so slippery though!
If it doesn’t spark joy! I love this!!
Decluttering is so hard when you attach emotion/memory to everything which I tend to do.
Each year is a year of experience and lessons learned (ffor me at least).
She has a “ceremony” for thanking things before you say good-bye. 😉
I love this perspective. Last year was a hard one because of my sister’s illness and passing. In many ways I just want to forget the whole awful year, but I think you are right–if we look for the blessing that exists in the midst of the hard times, we gain valuable insights. Thanks for sharing.
I can imagine that it would be a hard year to look back on, but at some point you may find good memories there.
I love this perspective Coco. 2015 was a mixed bag for us and in so many ways I couldn’t wait to turn the page. We use white board calendars in my kitchen so there’s no saving them – a few years ago we started keeping a memory jar to capture both the big and small moments of the year, and every New Year’s eve we review the contents of the jar. It’s been a nice way to revisit those moments we really want to remember.
Do you use a monthly whiteboard? I’d get through 1/2 the month beofre filling it out! The memory jar sounds like a fun idea.
2015 was an amazing year for me! I am just happy to be in my mid to late 20’s where life is starting to make a little sense.
I love to save my calendars and I love to hang the new one! All clean, shiny and full of promise 🙂 Now drawer folding is a whole different thing! 🙂
I think I try to reflect on both the good and bad to help my figure out where I have been and where I need to go.
I do that specifically – with a race or a work project – but not with “life” – maybe I should!
I like to keep old calendars for a few years, but yes, I totally understand where you are coming from with this post. Some years are winners and some there are many trials we go through. But hopefully you will be able to only embrace those fond memories of 2015, rather than the struggles.
I thought I was happy to get 2015 behind me, but it holds some of my best running memories…and my lowest. Funny that 2016 is starting off the exact same way…
I don’t save calendars now, but I do go through my old blog posts and Garmin connect notes.