Time Well Spent Part 1
February 1, 2026
Time Well Spent Part 1
Join us for this series of Daily Reflections on “Time Well Spent.”
I woke up thinking how beautiful the day was. Then I remembered: it’s already disappearing. Like sand through an hourglass, time doesn’t pause. It does not listen to our pleas to stop, even for a moment.
Everything we do exists within Chronos time, which is the seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years of our existence. There’s no way around it. We must live within time’s constraints unless we alter our consciousness with hallucinogens or other escapes from reality.
For those of us who remain present, time passes in unmistakable sequences. There is longitudinal Chronos time. At 14, pimples covered my face despite the Clearasil. At 40, I needed reading glasses. In my fifties, gray hair arrived, and “Just for Men” couldn’t hold back the inevitable. In my sixties, some of my teeth needed crowns. Each decade left its watermark, reminding me in its own way: time marches on and takes us with it. And also, in the Chronos dimension is immediate time. We all have the same 24 hours, and every hour has 60 minutes. It cannot be changed. Spending days connotes the idea that there is a limited supply for each of us, and that when we live a day we have “spent” it as in parting with something of value. We all live under the same time periods, yet we value them differently, therefore we spend them differently.
Do you know what determines how we spend our days? Our priorities. And where do they come from? They can be traced to our ego, our soul, or some mixture of both.
When the ego runs the show, priorities center on image: how we look to others, how we achieve the ego’s dreams, and how we expand our little kingdom. The ego obsesses over appearance, associations, safety, and its idea of how life should be. Only after these needs are satisfied can it turn toward others or altruistic concerns. Think about the vast amounts of days spent on what gratifies, flatters, and protects the self.
But when the soul leads and the ego serves, everything shifts. We move through the world from our purest nature. A soul-led life automatically factors in the needs and welfare of others, not after every other need is satisfied, but as every decision is made. Priorities become extremely sensitive to loving and loving well.
Spiritual practice: Make a list of your priorities, putting the most important at the top. Make a list of the activities you spent your time doing yesterday. How would they align with your stated priorities?
Self-inquiry: As time marches on, are you satisfied with your priorities? How well does your ego serve your soul?
Prayer:
Dear God, I pray to spend every day attuned to my soul. Amen
