Words, Crazy Words
A Sweet mix of the secular and sacred
A Word on Wednesday: Pastime
Pastime, noun, something that serves to make time pass agreeably; a pleasant means of amusement, recreation, or sport: to play cards as a pastime.
Time passes without a thought to me. I scroll social media and time passes, lots of time. I miss out on hobby, on creative practice, on reading actual books rather than memes. I’m not alone.
I just “celebrated” ten years on my Facebook account! I love the app. I love seeing baby pictures, wedding pictures, prom pictures. I love the groups feature, where I connect with my book club and writing circles, and even the “Class of ’94.” The events tab has helped me invite guests to my occasions and find both public and private gatherings. I use the messenger feature that saves every digital conversation I ever had with a person — I especially love that this feature saved the back-and-forth I shared with my late best friend.
I’m not saying I’m addicted. I have practiced FB breaks, removing it from my phone. Refraining from posting. But, I always come back — in a waiting room, in the car waiting to pick up my kids, in the passenger seat on long drives, during lunch hour.
Before, Facebook, before the internet what did I do? At home, I did jigsaw puzzles, I played board games, I played solitaire with an actual deck of cards – no virtual fireworks when I won. With others, I talked and laughed. In waiting rooms, I read magazines. In the car, I listened to the radio.
I wonder if my pastimes can again be more intentional. Can I practice my creative pursuits — finish that scarf I’ve been knitting, that book I’ve been writing, those scrapbooks I started. Can I get ahead of the weeds in the gardens? Clean out the closets? Hang those curtains? Paint the laundry room?
Time is a resource, a gift. Pastimes are a way to relax. Today, I try to be more mindful of my time and spend less of it passing without intention.
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WiscoPoet
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