"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." (J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)
I propose at the outset of this little essay that our freedom to make ‘choices’ may be among the most fundamental purposes of life.
The problem
for most of us is that we get so entrenched in the routines we have established
or we feel have been forced upon us that we too often forget or maybe never
have learned that we really are free to choose what we may be. And if you hear this assertion by people like
me you don’t believe it.
Granted, we
may be circumvented in the short run (by money or health or opportunity, etc.)
but the potential and positive destiny that will bring us the greatest joy and
good is limited or achieved by the
choices we make and the actions we
take within the circumstances we have been given. (If you’ve been given lemons, make lemonade;
if you’ve been given $10 you could spend it on a 900 calorie Big Mac and fries
or you could buy a banana and an apple and have a drink of tap water and be on
the way to losing a pound of fat and have $8 to deposit in the bank. )
I suspect
that, sadly, more likely than thinking of the ‘choices’ we could make with what
we do with the time we have before us as we begin a new day we immediately fall
into the rut we have previously established. Especially is that true when we pick up the
morning newspaper or turn on some electronic device (television, phone, iPad)
and read or see what someone else wants us to see, hear, or read. We start off
our day by pushing a button on some device that subtly manipulates us instead
of taking control of our day by prayer or reading or making a list of what we
will do in the next sixteen or so hours that lies ahead of us.
Freedom to choose is not a principle in a
vacuum; every new day gives us freedom to choose among alternatives. Consider some possible options:
·
We
could choose to use the few minutes we have after awaking to learn something new
or to be inspired by something. We could
have something right by the bed to read that we may later ponder, or discuss
with our colleagues some time during the day.
We may have an ongoing project nearby that we could give 10-15 minutes
to before we move on to the rest of the day. We could work on a new skill,
learn a language, practice the piano,or your putting stroke or learn a song, etc.,
etc., etc.
·
For
breakfast we could choose to eat something that may be better for us than what
we usually eat. We could choose to throw
out the stuff that we know is bad for us and that will tempt us if we leave it
laying around.
·
We
could choose to spend a few minutes doing a couple of sets of some exercise or
do some focused stretching. You don’t
need a gym for this.
·
We
could choose to spend less time in the shower.
·
We
could write a brief thank-you note or get-well note to someone.
·
We
could take three or four minutes to plan out our day.
And each of
the half-dozen points we listed above are just a few suggestions we might
consider before we even get started with the formalities of our day.
Continue
this approach to the use of your travel time, or work-break time, or lunch
time.
How many of
us are just “sittin’ on the dock of the bay—wasting time”?
No comments:
Post a Comment