It’s a potential tragedy: I’ve lost my datebook.
I strive to keep my life simple. But even though I’m
unemployed, I’ve still managed to book (and sometimes overbook) my time. I’ve
got classes and homework, now that I’m a student again. I have job searching
and networking activities. I have miscellaneous obligations, like doctor’s
appointments, activities with friends and family, and the occasional theater ticket.
In short, I have a regulated, scheduled life. I have to keep
track of it.
Add to this that I am an ardent list maker and planner. I
write down everything I need to do, and set deadlines for myself by adding
items to my calendar. And I write things down because there is so much to keep
track of, that if I didn’t schedule it, I’d forget it.
Now, with the loss of my datebook, I don’t know what to do or
when. Am I supposed to have tea at the White House on Monday? Am I supposed to pay the
utilities bill by the 29th? Was I planning to have a novel written by
Wednesday?
Luckily, the doctor’s office will likely call me with a
reminder before my appointment (if I have one). But what about all those other plans
and tasks, whatever they are? Will this development bring a huge dose of happy spontaneity
into my life? Or will I just degenerate into a ball of anxiety?
I don’t know what to expect. Losing my datebook was not scheduled
in my datebook.
