Firstly, the trackpad on my Mac stopped working this week. While this was really annoying and frustrating, it thankfully was not so much of a crisis since I have an external mouse which is doing a decent job right now. I miss the convenience of having a trackpad right there under the keyboard and I miss all the great finger swipes and shortcuts I was used to. Computer work is a bit more laborious, I feel like I’m almost using a PC again and not a Mac. And if you were at my Tuesday webinar, I think the problem was that my trackpad was not responding, instead of there being a problem with the webinar software.
The longer I live the more I realize this truth, make every day count and don’t waste a single moment. In highschool I rarely felt the urgency that surrounded me. I had such a limited time to devote all my time to learning and studying. I didn’t use my time like I should have. I wasted so much time because I wasn’t aware of how valuable that time was. And then this last year or so I’ve had the wonderful experience of being able to study whatever I’d like, give speeches, and basically pursue whatever I wanted. And I mean this in a good way, I didn’t waste all my days in reading novels and browsing Facebook (well, except for a few times…) but have done a lot of really productive and beneficial things. I’ve taught classes. Written a book. Given speeches. Studied economics. Read lots of good books. I’ve kept busy. But I’ve been thinking about needing to get a job to cover the expenses of driving (which I will be doing, Lord willing, in a little over a month). Like driving, I haven’t thought much about a job. I like my life right now so much I feel like it isn’t quite time to move on. Of course, in a couple months I’ll feel the same way. I’m not anxious to part with my hours of time for studying or teaching. But this week I’ve had two job opportunities come up, totally unsolicited and unexpected. While I’m not sure yet if both will go through, I’m quite sure that at least one will work out and so I’m beginning to think about how that will change my life.
I realize, very poignantly, that this is a season of my life that I will never see again. The days slowly ebb away and each one brings change and fresh opportunities. While this is good and to be expected, I want to cling to this season that I’ve enjoyed so much. It is a bittersweet thing.
I bought a bunch of books from the Mises Institute last fall, intending to read them in the coming months. I haven’t made much progress, and I’m afraid I won’t make any significant progress in the next couple months either. There will probably never again be a time when I can spend an entire day reading Man, Economy, and State. It is sad, but exciting. Who knows what this new time of life will bring?
It all brings me back to this same point. We can’t waste our days because we don’t have that many.
