Wasted Time

The biggest problem I have with writing is what to write about.  I come up with all manner of things during the day - when I have no time to write - and when I have time (ok, 11pm at night isn't exactly time considering life, responsibilities, etc. but still).  Even now, at 11pm, my daughter is looking over my shoulder and while I'm not really writing about things she can't see, I don't really like being watched.

I am constantly amazed at how much time I waste.  Some of my "wasted" time isn't really because I'm chillin with the kids (pause) except that our primary chill activity is watching Netflix.  I truly love TV.  I love the entertainment, learning things (I'm a big Discovery Channel and such buff), I love that so little is required of me and yet the payoff is... hmmm, kind of wasted time.  I don't know why I don't feel that way about reading a book.  Is it because I did something to get the story?  I mean it's not like I did more than run my eyes back and forth across the pages; no real effort was required of me and yet it feels less like wasted time.  Why is that?

Years ago (and by years I actually mean decades) I was driving around San Francisco late at night listening to a religious talk show and they were discussing televangelists and what the primary issue was with them.  What made a televangelist so different from someone who preached on the radio?  As I recall, the reasons they came up with were the actual cost of TV vs. radio and the discomfort so many have with that amount of money being used for TV.  Supporting that is the need to have viewers.  While radio requires its market share as well, there is a greater need to be entertaining on TV.  Does that change the message coming through?  Does it cause one to go to greater lengths to get your attention?  I do kind of agree.  I'm not a big fan of religion on TV because it just seems that those on TV make too much money.  I believe in capitalism but there seems something fundamentally wrong about someone preaching about God making gobs of money while people are living without enough to eat or a place to live anywhere within their ability to reach them.  So, I choose not to partake of such things and the rest is ultimately up to God.

I have been feeling bad about wasting time.  I am often so busy that any down time I have is greatly appreciated.  I imagine if I shared with most people the number of things I do on any given weekend, they would tell me to relax and enjoy whatever time I can.  Still, I feel that TV should not be my sole outlet.  I will put movies into the same category (which is our second favorite thing to do).  So I've started keeping a list of things I could do on weekends.  It makes me feel so much better to see the list...except that I don't always pull up my computer on weekends and my list is on Gmail.  Not working out so well for me really.  ha

So, this weekend I have 1 thing to do.  How shall I spend the rest of my days.  Hmmmm