One of the small delights of a new year is opening my fresh calendar. On the January page is a delicate watercolor entitled “Alders in Winter” by Molly Hashimoto. Below appears a quote from John Muir: Who publishes the sheet-music of the winds or the music of water written in river lines?

            I am partial to calendars. For years I was faithful to Ansel Adams’ photographs until I discovered William Rice’s gentle wood block prints. A few months ago at my local Marin County bookstore I was drawn to the watercolors of forests and green glens, birds and bears in this calendar entitled “Nature’s Peace” with the added bonus of words from John Muir’s writings.

The calendar now hangs on the wall of our breakfast nook, its clean, white squares prompting me to think of the days ahead, days to be lived. The empty squares are a bit intimidating, reminding me of the unknown. But I prefer to think of them as an invitation to live each day fully, paying attention to the moment. I want to let each day’s space remind me of Annie Dillard’s words: How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we are doing with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing.