A Complete Waste of Time
One recent and particularly busy day, I came home late from work. I jumped out of my car – in my sport coat and dress pants – and rushed up the driveway. My daughter, Tess, was waiting in the front yard. When she saw me, she called out, “Dad, come here and lie on the grass with me.” I haven’t done that in years. I looked at my ironed pants, put down my briefcase and walked over to lie down the grass with Tess.
We looked up at the clouds and started imagining the shapes we saw: a face of an old man with a hat on, a unicorn, a giant boat with a sail. After about 20 minutes, my wife Jane called us inside for dinner.
From a cultural or business perspective, those 20 minutes were a total waste of time. As a reflective parent, those 20 minutes were the highlight of my summer. We need to waste more time – in a good way – because when we do, we have more time to pause and be still and reflective, enabling us to remember what’s truly important in our lives.
This week, I challenge you to stop what your doing, take a deep breath and observe all the things going on around you. You may notice things about your children, spouse or home that you have never seen before. By pausing, you will become more appreciative of the little moments and things that make up your everyday life.
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