By Brenda Black
In one brief span of an hour, I
learned that a steady diet of daytime television is the equivalent to
dining on nothing but cotton candy covered in skunk. What a
wasteland! My viewing was not by choice, but by entrapment, in the
waiting room of a dealership's service department. And just when I
had my fill, a daytime t.v. junkie entered the room.
He found the remote control and
cranked up the nonsense, cruising through lame tips for better
marriages, political bantering over the least important issues,
crackpot doctors doling out advice based on anything but science.
Then he began his commentary, spewing opinions, obviously fueled by
previous days spent lingering tubeside.
Complemented by the smell of stale and
burnt popcorn, my stomach began to churn. Try as I might to
concentrate on the work on my laptop, I longed for fresh air and
something intelligent to ponder. No wonder our world is in such a
mess, if this is the garbage filling idle minds day after day. How
we, as Americans, do find mindless and futile ways to pilfer the time
away.
Time. It is fleeting and fragile. In
the past month, I learned of eight individuals I knew personally who
passed from this life. Their time suddenly halted. That makes me stop
and think just how am I spending this precious commodity in limited
quantity that never regenerates.
There are countless ways to invest it,
clever ways to enjoy it, powerful ways to utilize it and creative
ways to embellish it. But you only get one chance at every minute.
Unfortunately, there never seems to be enough of those.
I'm learning as the years fly by that
time flies exponentially faster. Each day seems to come and go with
lightening rapidity, leaving me shaking my head and wondering how I
didn't accomplish more with the time I had. Instead of regretting the
tick-tocking that keeps me panicked, I'm trying to become more
cognizant of just where all the moments get passed. I won't waste
your time listing the petty things that rob my days. Instead, I'd
like to challenge you to take a few seconds and evaluate your own
limited treasure chest of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks and
years.
See where it is spurned and spent.
Notice when it crawls or flees. Take a moment and make a plan to
guard the days ordained for you on this planet. It might just be the
best time you've ever spent.
