It’s that time of year again. Who knows what I’ll bring home to today…
One of my favorite December pleasures is the annual selection of a new calendar for my home and desk. I pick up mine the first weekend of the month when the “One and Only Brattleboro” (Vermont) hosts their annual “Holly Days”–with 20% off at each store.
Over time these calendar choices have expressed my greatest passions over the course of my life. I can look back at my years of Impressionist Art, my years of travel photography, and my years of spiritual teachings–and find something out about myself that is still true.
I use the opportunity of selecting a new calendar to intentionally deepen my attention to what is important to me–and to better define it.
A few years back, my choices dramatically shifted to political and social activism. That was a demanding year of new edges. Last year, I swung back at bit toward my personal preference for internal work–with a cultural twist.
The family wall Calender that I chose for 2010 was “Breath of Words~The Arabic Calligraphy of Abd el Malik Nounouhi.” Given the state of world affairs, there seems no better time to develop a continued appreciation and understanding of other cultures and traditions.
My personal desk calendar is entitled, “The Sacred Journey–a daily journal for your soul” which is a thick and lofty book, providing lots of space for guided journaling, as well as calendar notes.
I usually opt for a light and airy day calendar, but I chose this one to better integrate my day-to-day plans with my deepest inner desires.
This calendar provides opening pages to record intentions for the entire year, including: my heart’s calling, my credo, my service and even my birthday. Goals are broken down into: creative expression, personal growth, financial, career, physical health and well-being–to name just half of them!
This type of “hawk-eye” view on the year, though time-consuming, is very much in line with my approach toward life: live it moment to moment, but be intentional about the moments with regular time set aside for short-term and long-term thinking–and feeling–into the year.
Each month has pages to list goals and record highlights, as well as space for sharing gratitude, affirmation and symbolism.
Each week has a page to record: blessings, gifts and strengths. I use the latter to record my responses to the Life Organizer, another favorite resource for guiding weekly intentions.
Though I crave variety, and the delight in the annual tradition of choosing something new, this year I’ve decided to use both The Life Organizer and The Sacred Journey Calender again.
My mind is disappointed, but there’s a deeper part of me that knows that these resources are invaluable allies in aligning what I want with what I do as I continue to create my life from the inside out.
May your new year provide the same in every way you choose to claim it!
Kelly Salasin 2009, 2010, 2011
ps. Although I picked up the same personal calendars for 2010, I went out a completely new limb with the family calendar, surprising the whole family by bringing home one with comic strips.
Kelly Salasin 
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