Remind Me?

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I’d like to think I would remember a lot of things on my own but the truth of the matter is I would forget a lot of things on my own, that’s why I love my calendar.

Was it kind of me to remember the anniversary of the date your dad passed away? It’s because I put it on my calendar.  Was it sweet that I remembered what your love language was? It’s probably because I put it on my calendar. Was it thoughtful that I reached out to you for a special occasion? Full disclosure, it’s totally because I put it on my calendar.

I’m a nice person and I want to remember these important details but I wouldn’t remember all these things without writing them down. Does that make me a bad person? Actually, I think it makes me a thoughtful person (albeit forgetful) because I cared enough to write it down.

In 2018, in the spirit of remembering, I began setting a reminder at the end of every month. I opened a file that I called ‘Highlights’ and each month I mentally reviewed my highlights and wrote them down on my virtual notepad. At the end of each year, I had 12 paragraphs with cool things from each month – many of which I would have forgotten. It turned out to be a wonderful way to review the highlights of my year and bring them back to the forefront of my mind.

Now when I finish a month, for instance at the end of January, I will go back and read highlights from January 2018, 2019 and 2020, often I will read them to The Hub – it’s fun!

Halfway through last year, I stepped it up a notch and put a calendar reminder in at the end of every week just to make it a little easier to remember (aging brain). Just a few sentences per month has brought a lot of delight, appreciation and opportunity to reflect on the actual living of my life.

If you ever wonder, where did the time go and what do I have to show for it – you might want to try some version of this little trick.