What’s the one thing in life that once it’s gone, you will never get back?
Time, of course. It’s our most precious and non-renewable resource.
We’ve heard it all before, right?
But do we really understand the true cost of squandering our time?
On fake social media reels?
On one-way friendships?
On binge-watching TV?
I hadn’t thought about it that much, until this week.
On Monday night, my partner was out for dinner and I had no plans, a rare night to myself. There were many things I could have done that would have been more positive and productive than searching the streaming services for my next binge-watch.
But that’s what I did for two hours until he came home. I admit it. And I didn’t find a thing worth watching!
Time I will never get back.
Time spent doing something that did not make a positive impact – on my own wellbeing, or that of others, or the world around me.
Time wasted.
Time that I didn’t spend writing my novel.
Time that I didn’t spend reading a life-affirming book.
Time that I didn’t spend cooking dinner for an old friend.
Or cleaning the house.
I didn’t consciously choose how I would spend my Monday evening. Instead of filling my cup of wellbeing with nourishing activities, I emptied it instead and went to bed grumpy.
Time wasted.
On Tuesday, I awoke still grumpy.
The long-tail effect of time wasted.
I was annoyed with myself, not just for the time wasted the night before but all the days of my life. All of it, irreversible.
I could have written twenty more books if I’d made different choices with that most precious commodity, time. But it wasn’t the loss of time that annoyed me most, but the loss of potential.
Later that day, I took a walk down to the river to sit on the riverbank amongst the gums, because time in nature is never, ever wasted. All set for a reckoning with myself, I lightened up and laughed. How very human of me!
At least I’d recognised it and could now do something about it. Realisation is the first step to restitution. Lesson learnt, I could let it go and get on with it.
There’s a quote from author Annie Dillard in her fab book This Writing Life, that sums it all up. ‘How we spend our days, is of course, how we spend our lives.’
Don’t waste it. Your hours. Your days. Your life.
What about you? How are you spending your precious time?
Did you find this story harsh or helpful? I’d love to know.
With love
Carolyn Tate
Author | Educator | Community Builder | Author of The Purpose Project & Brave Women Write
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