Chapter 4: Do You Have the Time?
“Our task is to balance the many roles we play and refrain from volunteering to understudy everybody else’s. It can be tough to say no, especially to causes we recognize as worthy. The goal is to realize that, since we can’t help with everything, our time and stamina need to go into what truly speaks to our hearts.”
“The time you spend preserving your health is like time invested in a savings account: you’ll get it back plus interest.”
“How much time do you choose to spend with electronic companionship?” (i.e. TV, internet, video games)
“If I am incapable of washing dishes joyfully, if I want to finish them quickly so I can go and have dessert and a cup of tea, I will be equally incapable of doing these things joyfully. With the cup in my hands, I will be thinking about what to do next, and the fragrance and flavor of the tea, together with the pleasure of drinking it, will be lost. I will always be dragged into the future, never able to live in the present moment. The time of dish-washing is as important as the time of meditation.”
Time is an interesting subject for all of us, I think. As someone who is “a planner” and an “achiever,” I am constantly spending my thoughts on the future. Pushing forward, working toward, planning ahead. It’s a struggle to be present to the moment I’m in. Our time is such a precious thing because it passes without hesitation, like a strong current, and it doesn’t come back. Am I spending my limited time on what I’m passionate about? Am I using my limited time to invest in meaningful relationships or in TV shows? Am I joyful with what I’m doing now or am I always looking to the next thing?
Simply Intentional 
It’s refreshing and encouraging to hear someone reflect on this Michelle! Ryan and I have had conversations about our need to cut back on “future-talk” and “future-think”. Not that it isn’t important…but it’s a created concept that we can worship if we’re not careful.
Rebecca – I love your point about worshiping “future-think”. It’s crazy how easily we allow that to control us sometimes.
One of my favorite quotes:
“You are too concerned with what was and what will be. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is mystery, today is a gift, that’s why it’s called the present.” -Master Oogway (a fictional character in the movie Kung Fu Panda).
We sometimes live as if we are guaranteed or entitled something like time. I think if we lived life with the opposite mindset, we would rethink what we value, and thus, what we invest our time in.
– Jedd
Keep at it! Love the quotes. You may also like a book called Your Money or Your Life.