Friday, July 26, 2013

An Appearance on 'Scattered Wits'

Today is an exciting day. Yes, it's Friday (and lunch time), and while that is a happy thought, it is not the reason for my exuberant delight. Today, I was published on another blog!! Writing career, here I come! Well, perhaps not, but still. Very recently, I was granted the awesome privilege of writing a guest post for my good friend, Laura, on her book blog: Scattered Wits. Today (a little over an hour ago, in fact) was publishing day. I would say that merits some celebration!

This post contains my thoughts on J.K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy. In my humble opinion, it was a great book. But, if you want to know more about what I thought of it, you'll have to go read the post. And please do!! I would also encourage you to check out some of (if not all of) Laura's previous posts. She is an avid reader and has a myriad of things to say about what she reads, all of which are quite interesting to say the least.

I know I have told her this several times now, but I would just like to say thanks again, Laura, for allowing me to write this guest post. It was truly a fun and thought-provoking experience, and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Again, please go check it out! Here's the link again in case you somehow did not click any of the three links above: http://scattered-wits.blogspot.com/2013/07/guest-post-casual-vacancy.html

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Time

I was driving home from work a day or two ago and this thought occurred to me: it's the middle of July!! Holy wow, when did that happen?!? Honestly, it feels like the last time I checked, it was the middle of May. Talk about a wake-up call.

As I reflect on that thought, a few more percolate within me. Time goes relatively fast, and our time on this earth is relatively short, all things considered. So if you put two and two together, you will probably find that life, more or less, happens in the blink of an eye in the grand scheme of things. Knowing that, how are we spending our time? Are we working so much that we neglect our family and friends? Are we going home after a day of work and sucking in a few hours too many of television? Are we actually trying to develop relationships with the people who mean the most to us? Are we refusing to start/continue something that could be beneficial in some way because we always seem to be lacking (or think we are lacking) enough time?

Every now and then, I am reminded in one way or another that time is precious. And, personally, it seems that with every passing day time is flying by faster and faster (so yes, I can begin to relate to the folks who are more advanced in years, compared to myself, who always say that time progresses more quickly as you get older). The beginning of this week has served as my latest reminder. So now I pose the question: how am I spending my time? Am I wasting it away on the temporal, or am I developing myself constructively and loving those around me? Am I actively pursuing a loving relationship with my Lord and Saviour? Am I spending valuable time with my family? Am I developing healthy relationships with the friends I care for the most? Am I being a good neighbor to all those with whom I come in contact? Am I preparing myself professionally for the impending phase of life after college (which, for me, starts next May)? The list of questions could go on and on...

How do you spend your time? The things we give our time to say a lot about us. Perhaps we all just need to take a step back for a minute and re-evaluate ourselves and how we apportion our time. I am more than sure that every one of us has at least some room for improvement.