Magpie and Muttonfly

When I was young, my grandmother had calendar of 365 Things to Do. It consisted of a square sheet for each month, in colors the likes of Avocado green and Harvest gold; numbers representing the days, with corresponding activities, formed a circle in the middle; and my grandma hung them, month-by-month upon her refrigerator door.

We could hardly wait to see what was in store on any given day.

I’ve thought a lot about that calendar in past last year or so. Mostly, I’ve thought how far I’ve come from that simple idea of spontaneity.

You see, the older I get, the more I’m all about plans and lists, research and analytics. Not that those things are wrong, mind you. Quite the contrary—I think they are extremely valuable in making the most of our time. But, as Ecclesiastes reminds us, “There is a time for everything . . .”; I dare say that includes a time for fun and improvisation.

So with the start of the new year I’ll be including our own 365 Things to Do. Basically, I sat down and brainstormed things to do—366, to be precise (it’s a leap year, don’t you know). Then, I started plugging them in to the calendar—one for each day of the year. They are totally random. Some may be beneficial and productive; others may seem quite nonsensical . . . especially for an adult. Hopefully, in doing something–anything–unplanned, we’ll begin to see things a bit differently, think outside the box . . . be in inspired . . . laugh . . . have a little fun. Make the most of our days.

So here’s to you, and me, and a little something to do every day; here’s to you, and me, and a little something unexpected in 2012!