sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul

time.
a precious {nonrenewable} resource,
a baffling {social + global} construct,
perhaps the thing we waste the most of {and that’s saying a lot}.

why?
and what exactly are we allowing to cannibalize it?

{something that’s always fascinated me + one of the things meditation brings to mind time and again.}

how can mere minutes seem sooo impossibly rich while meditating but sooo utterly brief whilst {fill in the blank}. and why do we have to honor 60 minutes in an hour + 24 hours in a day anyway? {but that’s a whole other can of worms.}

the average person will spend approximately 2 years of their brief + beautiful life on facebook.

the average american preschooler {!} lazes away approximately 4.5 hours in front of a screen. every. day. {40% of their waking hours btw.}

commuters in the u.s. will spend approximately 42-82 hours in traffic every year + lose roughly $1,400 idling away gas.

{idle hands are the devil’s workshop is another thing my mamaw used to say. but i digress?}

so.
what’s cannibalizing MY time?

the watching of mindless television {read: hbo + netflix on my laptop}. the fruitless surveillancing of friends, family, and strangers on social media platforms. maintaining + carefully curating my own digital doppelgänger’s digital image. waiting in lines + sitting at stop lights + running errands + sleeping in + overanalyzing + venting {read: complaining}. the list goes on.

so.
how to rectify the situation?

get up earlier + meditate + read + write + bike + walk + hike + listen to records {and podcasts} + rendezvous with friends + practice kindness + go to live music + eat + drink + be merry + repeat. the list goes on.

but most importantly: be aware {of what is in direct competition with the present moment} + eradicate it.

so.
what’s cannibalizing YOUR time?

sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul. -edward abbey

the undisciplined tongue

xoxo

p.s. roughly 300 words down, approximately 1,300 to go.