How do you spend your seconds?

When our life is out of balance, disaster is just around the corner. - Mary Southerland

I feel like my life has been a spinning top, turning round and round, wobbling out of control.

Someone lied to me: They told me senior year was going to be easy. 

WRONG. I have had obligation after obligation after stress after stress after stress... 

spinning and spinning

Whether you are in your senior year of college or not, I'm sure you, at least occasionally, can relate.

We all have what seem to be never-ending tasks that take up our time: meetings, laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc.

The perpetual to-do list.

When was the last time you stopped, got off the merry-go-round and out of the fast lane to take a long, hard look at your life? - Mary Southerland

We are all so rushed: Running from class to meeting to event to the library to work to work out, etc.

spinning and spinning

Even fun things fill up our time: coffee dates, walk and talks, dinners, movies, games, plays, etc.

spinning and spinning

Every morning we are credited with 86,400 seconds. No balance is carried into the next day and every night erases what we fail to use. - Mary Southerland 

We don't get to rewind and re-do our days. Life is not like Groundhog Day.

Each day is what we make of it. Or don't make of it.

Are you intentional in how you spend the seconds of your day? It seems a little silly to worry about seconds but seconds become minutes which become hours which become days and months and years.

Time WILL fly by, if we let it.

Take, for example, Facebook. Hello. I hate how seconds become minutes or an hour whenever I log in. I would much prefer spending that time with my friends face-to-face or perhaps should spend that time working on homework or grad-school applications.

Really though, how do you spend the seconds of your day?

Is it time well spent?

Learn to invest your time instead of just spending it or allowing others to steal it - Mary Southerland

My brother recently shared a story that illustrated this perfectly:

I called him on my way to take an exam, just to leave a voicemail explaining that I would call him later, as I expected at that time that he was in class.

I was surprised to hear him answer: "Hello," he said.

"Hey," I responded, "I thought you were in class. What are you up to?"

No lie; the next words to come out of his mouth were "promise you won't tell mom?"

Now, I should clarify, my brother is not the type to find himself in trouble or in jail or any of the other awful options that immediately played through my mind BUT I was expecting something pretty rough as I answered: "I promise."

"I'm in Nashville, Tennessee," he declared.

Seemingly benign unless you know, as I did, that he was supposed to be in class on the campus of Clemson University, 5 hours away.

At this point, all of my last minute reviewing for my test was useless as my notes were now the last thing on my mind! 

He went on to explain that he drove there with a few friends, leaving spontaneously at 1:00 am so that they could visit the home of one of his friends who was soon to depart for an indefinite mission trip overseas.

Though completely out of character for him to take off on such an unplanned, ill-timed adventure, he reasoned it as follows:

"How many classes have I missed?" - none

"Will I really remember sitting in this class years from now?" - no

"Will I be able to get notes and make up what I miss in class?" - yes

"Will I get this chance again or be able to make up this trip to Nashville?" - no, never

"Will I ever see my friend again?" - maybe, though, probably not

"What would I enjoy more?" - seeing my friend and visiting a new city

"What is more important?" - taking this opportunity, investing this time

So he took off to Tennessee and didn't waste away his time or let the stress of school steal away his seconds. [Disclaimer: I don't' condone skipping classes ;) This, however, was too good and rare of an opportunity to pass up]

Have you let any good or rare opportunities pass you by?

Are your seconds just spinning and spinning away?

Don't let them.

Invest. Your. Seconds.