Off The Cuff Archive

Autumn has already arrived in the West Virginia mountains. Evenings have a chill, leaves are falling to float aimlessly in the river waters, and the breezes carry the scent of summer’s end.

I thought about time’s passing; time wasted, time misspent. Projects never completed, never started. Goals for the summer that were never met.

Of all the times my father gave me advice, only twice did I not follow his recommendation. One of those suggestions, I consciously chose a different option, and the second suggestion I just cannot master, and it is likely the most important tip he gave me.

 “Lisa,” he said to me long ago, “if you want to have a successful and productive life, you’ve got to learn to be a morning person.”

 Daddy got up every day at 5:30 a.m. I used to think he did so to beat two teenage daughters to the hot water, but he continued to get up that early even after we moved on.

 He was at the diner by six to meet his friend for breakfast, and was then in his shop working by 7 a.m. The shop didn’t officially open until nine.

 For 20 years, and countless New Year’s resolutions, I have set a goal to become what I am not a morning person. Sure, I set my goal, and my alarm clock, and my attempts to morph into a morning person last a week at the most.

 Curses on the man who invented the snooze button!

It is amazing then, that when we’re camping in the mountains, without an alarm or even a clock, I awake often with the dawn, feeling refreshed and ready for the day (and camp coffee).

So many people value money above all else. What is fleeting, more valuable and harder to come by is time, not money. If you spend your time and manage your time wisely, money (or a lack of such a need of money) should come in return as a result.

 Those who spend time with a vegetable garden need less in their pocket at the grocery store. Those who take time to properly care for the items they have will not need the funds to replace or repair them as often. Those who spend time dealing with stress will spend less in the future on medical bills and prescriptions.

 A wise investment of time is more important than a wise investment of money. The gratification we seek in buying new things seems never to satisfy. The gratification that comes from time well spent carries on for days.

 How do you invest your time?

 The average American watches over eight hours of television a day, and that time spent increases every year. Eight hours of each day is spent with bubble gum for the brain! If you, like other average Americans, sleep six to eight hours a night, then you have spent 14 to 16 hours of each day doing nothing. Add in the average three hours a day Americans spend on the computer, and 17 to 19 hours have passed away from the 24-hour day.

No wonder we say there isn’t enough time in the day. We’re only left with five to seven hours to get everything done.

Without having television in the house, I have a headstart on everyone else. Sure, we spend about two hours of the day watching a movie before bed, but I also spend two-to-three hours reading, at least an hour on the Internet at home, sleep eight hours and work eight hours of most days. That, taking up 22 hours of the day, leaves me with only two hours for anything else I’d like to do.