As the saga continues with my newly acquired (and now much-loved) flip phone, I’ve rediscovered using a planner. Remember those beloved date books we used to use once upon a time? Those dog-eared organizers that contained everything pertinent, from dentist’s appointments to shopping lists and everything in between. Well, once I said good-bye to my smart calendar, I needed another way to organize my life. I was pleased at first when I saw the calendar on my new flip phone and envisioned that life would go on as usual. What I didn’t account for was that this new calendar was teeny tiny and nothing like my old one. What’s one to do? Thankfully, I looked around and discovered an organizer that was better than those other ones from yesteryear.
This new calendar is pocket-sized
for one thing, and it contains organized places for everything I need like
grandchildren’s birthdays, an Omer countdown, and of course my treasured
to-do lists. I must admit, though, that it took some time to get used to it. I
had to remember to put it into my purse when leaving the house and take it out
when I returned home. But not to worry. I caught on rather quickly because
there’s just something about check lists. It’s that instant feeling of
accomplishment for a job well done. It’s a geshmakte feeling, plain and
simple.
One of the things that’s been on my
to-do list for most of my adult life has been getting into an exercise routine.
Oh, I’ve tried just about everything at least once, but the root of my problem had
to do with being consistent. I’ve taken yoga and water aerobics classes and
done laps at the pool. I’ve tried walking and spent time on the treadmill,
stationary bike, and elliptical, but no exercise regimen has ever lasted very
long. You’d think that someone like me, who prides herself on organization,
would be making a bee line to the nearest gym on a regular basis. You’d think
that my organizer would be filled with checks for each day that I exercised.
But, alas, this has not been the case.
If you saw my planner, I don’t
think you could read it with all the notes tucked into every corner, but I can
surely tell you that there is no notation anywhere about exercise. It was on
one fine day that my husband and I were discussing what to do about our lack of
exercise. It was related to a conversation I had with my physical therapist,
who informed me that I was able to engage in any physical exercise that I would
like. That was certainly an eye-opener for me and opened up a whole new world
of possibilities. My husband and I looked into rejoining the newly remodeled
JCC, and the thought of going back to the pool was exciting. Well, that is
until I looked at the schedule and found that the swimming hours happened to
coincide with my work schedule. I immediately made a cross-out on my mental
to-do list.
Oh, well, it was back to the
drawing board until my husband remembered the workout room in our condo. It had
all the bells and whistles, and my husband and I were eager to try. I was proud
of myself each day when I woke up at what seemed like the crack of dawn to make
my way to the other side of our condo community. “Check” went my pen on the
paper in my planner after every workout. It was a feeling of satisfaction all
the way around, that is, until I discovered the many people who were already using
this room every day. There just wasn’t enough equipment for everyone who wanted
a turn. Cross out, I thought and wondered, what next?
It was my husband to the rescue
once again and reminded me how I used to walk the hallways of our condo
building. I fondly remember plugging into a shiur or listening to my
favorite songs as I walked at a brisk pace around each floor. Why not try it
again, I thought, and proceeded to put entries in my now much-used planner. I
can happily say that I’ve been walking with some regularity, and of course, part
of the fun has been to check these tasks off in my calendar each time, which I
do with glee, I must admit.
Boy, I hope I’ll able to keep up
this regimen for the long term. My parents, who were always in good physical
shape, used to tell me how important exercise was and that it was something I
should be serious about. It was easy 20 and 30 years ago for me to say that I
would exercise when I got older, but now I don’t have that excuse anymore.
I’d like to think that maybe I’m
growing in my awareness and getting serious about taking responsibility and
caring for the guf that Hashem so kindly gave to me. It’s a good feeling,
and I’m happy to have finally made a clear and distinct “check” on this grand
and Heaven-sent to-do list, with nary a cross-out in sight.
