Calendars (page-a-day for 2022): The Untethered
Soul; Church Signs. Andrews McMeel. $15.99 each.
Daily calendars generally tend to the
quick-and-easy rather than the profound: each page gets a glance (weekend pages
get two glances, since one page suffices for both Saturday and Sunday), and
then it is time to get on with the day. A few calendars, though, try to offer
instruction and even emotional support, such as the 2022 one based on Michael
Alan Singer’s book, The Untethered Soul:
The Journey beyond Yourself. This is not a calendar that will appeal to
everyone: it is for readers of the book who want reminders about Singer’s ideas
and suggestions, and for people who may not know the book but who are seeking
spiritual improvement and guidance and find the specifics on this calendar’s
pages congenial. Like other word-focused calendars, this one has no pictures,
although there is some differentiation among pages in terms of design. The
focus throughout is thought, not amusement. The sincerity of the sentiments is
quite clear: “What actually gives life meaning is the willingness to live it.”
“To live life is to experience the moment that is passing through you, and then
experience the next moment, and then the next.” “Life itself is your career,
and your interaction with life is your most meaningful relationship.” “You were
born and you are going to die. During the time in between, you get to choose
whether or not you want to enjoy the experience.” People who find Singer’s
words trite or naïve are not the target audience for this calendar. Those who
find his comments wise, or at least insightful or thought-provoking, are the
ones for whom The Untethered Soul
2022 calendar will be a positive experience and a good way to start the day.
The calendar intersects traditional religion but is not dependent on it. “Every
one of life’s experiences is different, and every experience is worth having,”
one page says, and certainly if that provides reassurance at a time of a
continuing pandemic and all the stresses each individual experiences, it is a
worthwhile sentiment with some religious overtones. And Singer does bring God
into the calendar pages from time to time: “Just as rain makes you wet and fire
makes you warm, so you can know the nature of God by looking into the mirror of
your transformed self.” True, if that remark seems too heavy or off-kilter for
your thinking, Singer’s words may not resonate – but of course, the words on
one calendar page quickly give way to the words on the next, which may be more
congenial. And it can certainly be reassuring when Singer says, “Let go of the
idea of a judgmental God. You have a loving God.”
If all this is a little on the heavy side and you prefer your spirituality leavened with a bit of humor, consider the 2022 Church Signs calendar. This one is subtitled “Little Sayings to Help You on Your Way,” and indeed, the signs in front of churches are meant to help people walking or driving past on their way with a smile and touch of uplift – while also helping believers on “their way” to a better life overall. Each page of this calendar looks like the sort of display that many churches have in front to announce upcoming services and other events – a display that really may be used for short comments and quips from time to time. The degree of “think about it” varies quite a bit from page to page of this calendar: “Everyone smiles in the same language.” “A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers.” “Let’s spend less time congratulating people who have succeeded and more time encouraging those who have not.” “Not every cloud brings a storm.” “Joy is peace dancing. Peace is joy resting.” “When you invite trouble, it’s usually quick to accept.” “The platypus proves that God has a sense of humor.” “You don’t have to understand God to trust God.” Clearly the Church Signs calendar mixes a certain degree of thoughtfulness, even profundity, with a considerable amount of cuteness and a level of “groaner” jokes and puns. What makes it attractive is that you never know on one day what the next will bring – there may be several comparatively serious items in a row, or several comparatively lighthearted ones, or alternating heavy and light remarks. It is all thoroughly unpredictable. There are behavioral suggestions here, to be sure: “”Positive thinking must be followed by positive doing.” And there are thoughts that twist “common knowledge” and clichés a bit: “A man is also known by the company he avoids.” But there is little overt “churchiness” in Church Signs, although there is enough to remind you of where these nuggets of amusement or enlightenment come from: “Those who walk with God always reach their destination.” Religious elements aside, Church Signs can be a good way to start the day for anyone looking for a bit of positivity and a small helping of humility: “Love difficult people. You are one of them.”
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