Life Calendar
I first stumbled upon this life calendar many years ago. It made its reappearance yesterday as I was reading a newsletter I subscribed to.
The timing couldn’t be more perfect in this season of my life where I find myself realizing more and more how short a time I have left with some of the most important people in my life.
I am currently 46 years old. When I mark and fill out the boxes or weeks I’ve lived through, it’s clear I’m on my halfway point. My husband is 8 years older than me so that leaves us about 35 years left together (again assuming we live to our nineties). That’s 35 Christmases, 35 anniversaries, 35 birthdays each to celebrate, 35 Valentine’s date nights and about 11 more US presidential inaugurations.
We travel together, on average, about 4 times a year so that’s about 112 vacations left (I shaved it down to 2 per year when he turns 75).
Further than the time we have left together, I looked at the time we have left with some of the people dearest to us. They currently range from 68 to 85 years old. Marking it on the calendar, that visual makes things shockingly clear, making the time we have left to spend with them all the more precious. The shortest window, which is with my father-in-law, gives us 5 years left (if we’re lucky).
The purpose of the calendar is not a morbid one. On the contrary. It’s a wake up call. A visual reminder that hopefully prompts us to make the time we have left on this earth, and every moment with those we love, count.
If you’re on the same boat and loved ones live far away from you, find a way to make that distance shorter or schedule visits far more often than you normally do.
When you’re with them, make your time together meaningful. Ask them questions, tons of them. Listen to their stories, even if you’ve heard them before. Different moods and situations sometimes shed a different light to a story and allow them to remember certain details they haven’t shared before.
Tell and show them you love them, so often it might even feel excessive. It isn’t. There will come a time when they would no longer be able to hear or feel it and you unable to express it the same way.
Whenever I feel the need to sort something out - a problem, a project, a mental puzzle - I tend to dump my mind onto paper, where an idea, a pattern or a possible solution would eventually show itself.
This life calendar does something similar. It shows me, as clear as day, how much time I have left, encouraging me to figure out how I want to spend it, where and with whom.
I invite you to give it a try. Here’s a downloadable template you can print.
I wish you many good years ahead, well spent with the people you love, making good memories until the end.
To a life well-lived...
Marge
A Life Well Lived Team
P.S. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'd like to thank you for your continued support of readership. As a token of my gratitude, I'm gifting you full access to this month's Thanksgiving Newsletter. This gives you a sneak peek at one of the benefits of being a member of A Life Well Lived.
Happy reading!
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