“And I could have done so many things, baby, if I could only stop my mind from wonderin’ what I left behind; and from worrying ’bout this wasted time.”
– Lyric from “Wasted Time” by the Eagles
But was it, really? How often is it really wasted time?
It is possible — likely, in my opinion, that we are here…now…for a specific reason. It may be to do something. It may be to have something done to or near us. It may be something we’re oblivious to, or seemingly nothing that we’re suddenly keenly aware of.
In every moment, though, there is a gift. An opportunity to be in that moment.
Gifts, one could say, are meant to be treasured. Relished in. And yet if each moment of each day is a gift of some sort — why do we spend so little time being in that moment, let alone treasuring it, relishing in it — learning from it?
The only time we waste is the time we’re not present in. In an age where we are not only tempted but taunted to constantly be in touch, we are losing touch with more people — close in people that matter. And the fix is simple.
Sometimes to keep it together we got to leave it alone. Or, in context, and the tune of C, if memory serves me;
Another love has come and gone, and the years keep rushin’ on; I remember what you told me before you went out on your own — sometimes to keep it together we’ve got to leave it alone.”
“So you can get on with your search, baby. And I can get on with mine. And maybe someday we will find — that it wasn’t really wasted time.”
Leave the phone home for a day. Turn it off during lunch. Shut down e-mail and write a hand-written letter to someone you miss dearly. Call a client, just to say, “Hi,” and then tell them you were thinking of them and hoping that they were having an awesome day. Clean up one of the kids room, and leave a card, saying “thanks for reminding me of all the cool stuff you’ve collected over the year…” I could simply turn this paragraph in to an endless list, but you get the point.
It wasn’t really wasted time — as long as we’re better today because of it.
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