Monday, April 4, 2016

Blogging from A to Z: C is for Calendar

During the month of April last year, I participated in the A to Z Blogging Challenge - one alphabet-themed post per day (except Sundays).  I had such a good time with it that I'm doing it again this year.  I'm loosely organized on the theme of downsizing, minimalism, and small-home living that I've learned in 14 years of living on a small boat.  I'm starting with A is for Anchoring Out, Anger-ing Out, and ending with Z is for Zout and Zwarte Peper (Dutch for salt and black pepper). Click on the A to Z logo on the lower left sidebar for links to many other bloggers participating in the challenge.

The most dangerous thing you'll ever see on a boat
"The most dangerous thing you can have aboard, is a calendar," announced my friend Ellen.  She and her husband James were our mentors on our first trip down the ICW in 2009.  If a calendar dictates your schedule, instead of the realities of the natural world, you might easily find yourself taking off in less-than-ideal weather conditions because, well, today was the day you had planned to set sail, not a day earlier or later, come what may.  Or you might depart without some system working quite right, just because the calendar said today was the day to go, even if you didn't feel ready.  On a shorter time scale, our marina has quite a strong tidal current running through it, and we often see people get in trouble pulling out of their slip because they wanted to leave at a certain hour rather than wait for (or get up early to make) slack tide. Commercial or military ships, of course, get a by on this; they are expected to go at a scheduled time.  I'm thinking of the people for whom the departure time is optional or even arbitrary. Those are the ones who put themselves unnecessarily in harm's way -- or at least, in discomfort's way -- by adherence to a schedule planned in advance without the ability to modify it to accommodate current conditions.

But calendars aren't dangerous just to our physical selves, while we're living aboard.  Sticking to a calendar can rob you of opportunities to feed the soul too.  What if leaving when planned instead of staying in port an extra few days meant you wouldn't be able to attend a cool festival happening next weekend, or stick around to cement a friendship with a fascinating person you just met, another cruiser who ironically arrived the day before you scheduled to go?

The biggest danger of the calendar, though, happens while we're living in one place for a while.  The calendar invites us to fill our days and we build up a list of things to do.  Some are cool things, like getting together with friends to try a new restaurant, or signing up to volunteer for a worthy cause.  Some are important parts of adulting, like going to work, or dentist appointments or doing our taxes.  And some are just flat-out busy-ness of modern life in a city, buying groceries and doing laundry and replying to emails and shopping and spending and juggling.  Soon, every single day has a to-do, or multiple to-dos, planned. And then there's no time left for spontaneity, for watching a sunset or getting lost in a novel or listening to bird songs or helping a neighbor.  Sara, in her blog Wondertime says it so articulately:
...the best days are not the ones where I get the most things done. The best days are the ones without a list leading the way, where we just let the day unfold and explore the world however we feel that day and let whatever happens, happen. They are the days when we take the time to wonder.
Of course, its unrealistic to expect never to have plans or schedules or to-dos on the calendar.  Still, it's nice to strike a balance and resist unnecessary structure. The name of our species is an important reminder -- we're human beings, not human doings.

Sunrise at anchor, Beaufort, SC.  When we had jobs, we always set the alarm an hour early.  This was our time to sit quietly together with a cup of coffee and talk about anything and everything, before the pressures of the day began.

On our way to the tall ship today to discuss our schedule, we stopped on the dock for about 5 minutes watching this snowy egret fish for his supper.  I'm fascinated by the way birds take advantage of the artifacts of human life.

17 comments:

  1. A lovely post to inspire us to enjoy life as it comes and not all about 'what I've got to get done today' attitude.

    Mason
    Alex's Ninja Minion

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    1. Thanx, although looking at your profile it looks like you get plenty done!

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  2. Absolutely! Not only is sailing to a schedule dangerous, it's bad for the soul! But I disagree about the importance of a calendar aboard and would say, contrary to Ellen's advice, that it's a vital piece of equipment. Just last season, both my husband and I were in such a hurry to get out of port that we "lost" one full day (we both thought it was Tuesday and it was Wednesday) and made a decision based on the wrong weather forecast. Long story short, we got hammered (deservedly so!).

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    1. Oh, my! I know it's not "haha" funny but I'm laughing; what a great story! And proof that EVERY SINGLE RULE has an exception...

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  3. I find that having to travel by calendar by land is nerve wracking. It reminds me of having to leave during thunderstorms instead of waiting until the next day. That is why this year my husband and I are going to travel on our own to and from the annual reunion.

    It is rather ironic to be reading about not being bound to the calendar during the A to Z Challenge. Finding Eliza

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    1. LOL! You are right!

      BTW, just checked your blog, "Lunceford" as a first name? It's my last name (Lunsford) by marriage as well as some distant relatives on my mother's side in GA and MO. Six degrees of separation?

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  4. I admit to a lot of filling in a calendar. I like your drift along idea - no doubt busy on deck, but time to watch birds. Very nice

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    1. Thanx; I find it amusing that your "dread" post followed by a day my "calendar" post!

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  5. What a beautiful pic.
    I had never thought about the calendar from that point of view. But it makes perfect sense.

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    1. Thanx. I never really thought about it that way either until friend Ellen clued me in.

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  6. Another Ellen! I don't meet too many of them.

    I love the distinction between human beings and human doings. Many of my days when I was working were about doing, not so much about being. It was doing to be able to "earn" some time on the weekend for a bit of being. It was a tricky balance.

    Cheers - from the other Ellen

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    1. Now I'm hoping that when we meet, we click as well as 'the other Ellen.' Your online persona, wit, and willingness to jump off to new adventures remind me of her!

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    2. Maybe I am the original Ellen but this has all been a big ploy to trick you. you'll roll into Indiantown and think, wait a minute, why is Original Ellen here.

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  7. Oh wow :) I live by a calendar, but I never thought about how it might be dangerous... even on dry land :) Very thoughtful post!

    @TarkabarkaHolgy from
    The Multicolored Diary
    MopDog

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    1. Thanx. It amazed me how, even without an office job any more, I still have to be on guard against scheduling my days too tightly.

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  8. I adore my day planner but only use it to remind me of writing deadlines and birthdays. Since I retired from teaching I'm usually comfortable not knowing what day of the week it is. Love your post.
    Susan Says

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    1. I would have said the same until I saw sv Cambria's post about forgetting what day it was and therefore getting caught in bad weather. That would make me "barmy." ;)

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