Bill and I sat down yesterday morning to go over our calendars. We do this on a regular basis because, as I like to say, between the two of us, we have one working brain. This may or may not be true, because I’m not sure mine is ever working. Anyway, he can remind me of some things and I can remind him of others. Our goal is to end up together in the same place and at the right time.

At my sister Jen’s urging, I now keep a paper calendar. Her urging likely came from living with me for a couple of months in AZ last winter, and seeing how I struggle with technology. I like to call my paper calendar a day timer because that seems to make it sound like I’m a realtor instead of a technological nincompoop. I also keep a calendar on my laptop, on my iPad, and on my cell phone. These three pieces of technology are supposed to synch. Sometimes they do; often they don’t. The reasons they do or don’t are inexplicable to me. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that it is because I am doing something incorrectly. I likely — though inadvertently — set it up to only synch when there is a full moon.

Paper calendars don’t synch, but the information doesn’t mysteriously disappear either. Perhaps more important, when I go to a certain date in the calendar to find out the time of an appointment, it is always there. It isn’t impacted by daylight savings time. It worries not about synching with anything. And there might even be an inspirational quote at the top of the page.

As Bill and I began talking about our calendars, it became abundantly clear that social appointments were simply SMOTHERED by health-related appointments. This is true even if I include all friends’ and family members’ birthdays, something I do to both remind me and to fool myself into thinking I have a social life. Reality dictates that even if Great-Aunt Gladys is celebrating her 89th birthday, it doesn’t necessarily mean I will be celebrating with her. Still, it makes me feel better.

The truth, however, is that the first week in January, Bill has two surgical procedures and I have one surgical procedure. It appears 2022 is going to be a hit for the McLains. None of the procedures are serious, or even very interesting. Bill is starting the process to acquire dental implants and then moves south on his body to have a mole removed. I am moving even more south as I am having bunion surgery. His procedures won’t cause him much angst. I, on the other hand, will have to be non-weight-bearing for a minimum of six weeks. I’m looking at YOU, crutches.

Yuck.

Since I won’t be running the Phoenix Marathon, I might take the time to study technology. No I won’t. But I might do some doodling in my paper calendar.