Friday, March 15, 2013
Friday, March 8, 2013
Spending Time
One of the things I have been reflecting on lately is what we have to spend in life; money, physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energy, time. The only one we can't generate more of is time. Every minute, every hour has been traded, exchanged for something once it is gone.
So, I bought a cell phone cover I don't really like the other day. No big deal. But for me it came to represent what I was willing to trade an hour of my life for. I had been spending an inordinate amount of time online looking for a cell phone cover that would not only protect my phone, but would be pleasing to me visually. I was standing in the store, looking at a perfectly functional and well priced cover and just decided that it was not worth trading another hour of my life looking for another one. Purchase done.
I thought that same day about what I did want to trade an hour of my life for, and it was having coffee with a neighbor. It may not be life changing, but certainly a better investment than looking for a sassy phone cover.
I think too about emotional and spiritual states and the time we trade for them. Not that I believe we can (or even should) fully "choose" all of our emotions... I think they are designed to tell us things and to harness for good...but to the extent that I can choose to forgive or not forgive, to be angry rather than grieve and move forward, to choose fear instead of openness... which do I want to trade the irreplaceable hours of this gift of my life for?
Isn't time odd? It is a Pandora's box of mystery and implication about physics and the spiritual. The enormity of the mystery can almost overwhelm me. But the grounding, the daily application for me is that I am given this minute, this hour to live, to spend, and that in most situations I am given the privilege and responsibility to decide how to invest it.
I have contemplated and jotted thoughts on this before.... I must be in a place where I need to think about it again:) Here is to spending our hours and days well. Cheers!
So, I bought a cell phone cover I don't really like the other day. No big deal. But for me it came to represent what I was willing to trade an hour of my life for. I had been spending an inordinate amount of time online looking for a cell phone cover that would not only protect my phone, but would be pleasing to me visually. I was standing in the store, looking at a perfectly functional and well priced cover and just decided that it was not worth trading another hour of my life looking for another one. Purchase done.
I thought that same day about what I did want to trade an hour of my life for, and it was having coffee with a neighbor. It may not be life changing, but certainly a better investment than looking for a sassy phone cover.
I think too about emotional and spiritual states and the time we trade for them. Not that I believe we can (or even should) fully "choose" all of our emotions... I think they are designed to tell us things and to harness for good...but to the extent that I can choose to forgive or not forgive, to be angry rather than grieve and move forward, to choose fear instead of openness... which do I want to trade the irreplaceable hours of this gift of my life for?
Isn't time odd? It is a Pandora's box of mystery and implication about physics and the spiritual. The enormity of the mystery can almost overwhelm me. But the grounding, the daily application for me is that I am given this minute, this hour to live, to spend, and that in most situations I am given the privilege and responsibility to decide how to invest it.
I have contemplated and jotted thoughts on this before.... I must be in a place where I need to think about it again:) Here is to spending our hours and days well. Cheers!
Saturday, March 2, 2013
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