Life truly can be fleeting sometimes. Once a moment's there, it's already gone. In our culture today, much emphasis is put on what we do in every single moment we do. We must fill up our time with something, no matter what it is. Maybe this is due to the prevalence and availability of entertainment on mobile devices; maybe it's due to the "youtube generation" mentality that has seemed to lessen our attention span. Whatever the reason, emphasis is made to make use of every moment, even if it is to waste it on playing a game of Angry Birds.
I'm reminded of a line from Tolkien's masterpiece, The Fellowship of The Ring: "All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given us."
I think this phrase has been lost on many a people these days.
In my mind, there are two extremes of utilizing every moment: by working or by wasting it.
Workers can tend to argue that we should use every moment we have to further the universe, ourselves, others, etc. They say we should work endlessly towards a common goal of world peace, saving the environment, or simply making the world a better place. Some even go so far as to say if you waste any moment just not doing anything, you're actually making the world worse by your inaction. These people may have admirable causes; their work may in fact lead to great things. But, do they really stop and just enjoy this world we're living in? I mean, without trying to fix it?
Or more simply, workers can just be busy doing seventeen different activities during the week- between one or two jobs, school, community work & church activities. I've seen many a family an individual seem to be buried in their datebooks and calendars. For workers, the phrase "stop and smell the roses", I think, is an apt one.
And then some of us go the other way entirely. They would be the wasters. They have to be entertained or doing something at every moment of every day. I'm the first to admit that, unfortunately, I'm often one of them. Like many in this country, I have a phone that connects to the internet. As such, I have a myriad of entertainment resources in my hand at any given time. I could watch a youtube video while IM-ing a friend while texting a family member while looking up the meaning of "prestidigitation". (For the record, I just looked it up. To paraphrase, it means to be quick with your hands and tricky.) But that's precisely what I mean. We waste our time.
I especially see a lot of this in waiting rooms. Once people are seated in a room with nothing to do but (God forbid!) talk to one another, they break out their phones. I know, I'm also guilty of this. It just amazes me how we're so disconnected with the world around us. And I don't mean in a broad, global sense. I mean in a 'I-never-saw-that-monkey-across-the-room-because-I-was-updating-my-status-on-Facebook' sense.
So going back to my nerdy quote, "All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given us."
Sometimes we can forget what's really important and forget to live. Either we can focus on utilizing every single moment, or we can consciously decide to look around us.
I feel many of us need to raise our head out of our little world, and go into the world around us. Say hello to a perfect stranger. Try to strike up a real meaningful conversation with the person standing in the grocery store line with you. Don't be afraid to be vulnerable once in a while.
Or just take a few moments and simply look at the world around you. I mean really look. Smell the air, look at the beauty of the clouds in the sky, listen to the sounds that permeate the world around you. When I was starting college at a little community college in Washington, there was this walking path that ran around a lake and up a hill that overlooked the town. I consider the hours I spent there the most fulfilling of my time there. It helped revitalize me at a time when I really needed it.
Lastly, try to look at the people around you. Try to pay attention to their words and actions even more closely. If you see something you like about someone, let them know about it. If you see someone do something admirable, why not thank them? Or if you notice that shirt that your coworker is wearing really looks nice, go ahead and tell them. Believe me, a simple compliment can make someone's day.
I hope you will decide to use some of your given time to really live, as I will hope to do.
I sincerely hope your day is a blessed one.
YUS.
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