Time Well Spent

Are you wasting time right now? Really??

6:22 am... Coffee dripping through the filter. The living room is dark and quite, except for the hum of the computer and the gentle tapping of the keys beneath my fingers. I stop briefly to add more water to the coffee and then return to my thought for the morning. How does one gauge time well spent?

Inevitably we take on obligations in our lives. Be they work, school, children, bills, family or friendships, there are  things which demand our time. Depending on your outlook and your moral philosophy, the certainty of these commitments can vary. After all, there are people in this world who have children, but do not see them or support them, ignoring what most of us would consider a very serious and fundamental obligation. But, in the end, it is their choice.

Refraining from dwelling on the heavy social responsibility end of the scale, consider how you spend your typical workday. For myself, being currently unemployed, I search for jobs online, send out some resumes, blog, entertain the cats, clean up around the house, go food shopping, play Fallout 4, watch YouTube videos, do school work, make (and drink) coffee, prepare and eat meals, and likely some other miscellaneous tasks get sprinkled in depending on the day and the need. In the evenings, I spend time with Little Man, go to class, cook dinner, clean up the kitchen, blog some more and, if the stars align properly, get to spend some time snuggling with Honey Bee before sleep overtakes us.

Can you point out some foolish choices from my list? Watching videos and playing games jump out at once for me. Do they do the same for you? What about television? How many of you spend several hours a day in front of the boob tube? What are you watching? Sports? Sitcoms? Serious News? Does that even exist anymore? Oh, maybe documentaries!?!? Could you do something better with your time? Perhaps take a side job, or make things to sell on Etsy? We can always use more money. Right? I mean, money lubricates our lives. The more we have the easier everything seems to flow. Does it seem that way to you?

I do have a little guilt after spending a mindless hour gaming or watching the latest Neil deGrasse Tyson videos. But should I? The majority of my time is spent trying to find life's Holy Grail - financial stability. And sometimes I just get tired of it. Sometimes, I just need to kill some Super Mutants or assist another FREAKIN' SETTLEMENT that needs my help. (Thanks Preston!) I could cut this out of my schedule though, I definitely could. There is always another hour that can be spent looking through jobs I'm either over- or under-qualified for. Sure, I could do that.

But you know what? I need to help those settlements, just as much as Preston needs me to. There's something to the old saying, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." Dull and drained and depressed... that's not a Jack who is up to meeting his obligations. Have a little fun, blow off steam, let go of the stress. It's important. Be aware of wasted time, especially in excess, but make sure you take time to enjoy each and every day. Your dying thought is not going to be "I wish I had stressed more over things." I promise... 6:52 am...