The other day I hopped in the shower without removing my contacts. I told David that I’m always afraid I’ll lose one in the shower and then never be able to find it. “That would be such a waste,” I told him. He said, “Nicki, there are worse things to waste.”
True, isn’t it? I thought about what he said for a little while. How often I worry about wasting trivial things, all while ignoring things that are truly important, even life-changing.
Little things I pay careful attention not to waste:
- Any bottle with a usable amount of something left in it
- Cosmetics
- Food
- Gas – car
- Heat- house
- Postage stamps
- Water
- Electricity
It’s prudent that I’m mindful of the small things. Many small things wasted is a great loss but if my focus is so narrowly gazing upon these smaller things I might be missing out on some great potential. I may find myself wasting:
Talents - Each person has something they are naturally good at, an area where you excel with ease. I believe we’re given these talents purposefully so that they may be used in a beneficial way. Is your gifting in music? athletics? math? cooking? home-making? teaching? art? photography? administration? Here’s my point: it’s easy for us to waste these things because they don’t seem important and it’s easy to put a talent on the back burner of our lives. I don’t think we were given them to place on the back burner though, do you?
Ambition - What are you excited about? What do you have passion for? It might be related to the talent above. Have you supressed your drive and ambition for what you love? Sure … maybe you can’t afford it right now but it doesn’t mean you should neglect it entirely. If you’ve got ambition and drive for something, don’t waste it.
Time – You’ve heard the statistics about how much time we spend doing menial things. How much time do you spend worrying? Wasting time fighting over trivial things? Wasting time whining about what you don’t have? Wasting time stressing about the economy? Wasting time away from your family? I really could go on and on here. Invest your time into things that matter.
Money – What are you spending it on? Hopefully you’re spending it on what’s important to you. If you’re paying high interest rates on things you don’t even care that much about, second-think that spending. Don’t waste your money on things that don’t matter.
Resources – Do you notice your neighbor taking 3 hours to shovel his driveway while you have a brand new snowblower sitting in your garage? Did friends of yours have to hire a moving truck to move across town while your shiny truck sat in the driveway? Don’t own things just to have them – use them!
There are so many uncertainties in life. I’d rather error making use of something too much rather than too little. I would be so much happier knowing I tried my best at what I love. I would be thrilled to see my money used for things that are good and beneficial. I’ll still be careful about how much plastic wrap I tear off and how high I keep my heat but maybe I’ll think a little more about the really important things too.
Why I do what I do ~ (I feel like I may have printed this one before but it’s still cute enough to repeat) When leaving the library today, my oldest niece (3-1/2) asked, “Can we go on the alligator?” Meaning the elevator, of course.
photo credit: echtzeit08
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Nicki,
I saw your comment on Serene Journey and followed you here. I love your blog title and logo! You have a wise partner in David. It’s so true that there are worse things to waste. I have a boyfriend who makes these little wise observations when I get all worked up too. It’s a blessing in life to have someone who can give perspective in just a few words.
Nice to meet you Nicki!
Daphne @ Joyful Days’s last blog post..How To Find Happiness in 5 Minutes
I am guilty of wasting some of these extremely important things. I have always used some talent or other but I feel like this is something I can improve greatly. Time is probably my biggest challenge. I always have so much that I want to do but it seems that I get overwhelmed with my list and don’t always choose the right thing to do.
Liz’s last blog post..Think Positive