Time Well Spent Part 3
February 3, 2026
Time Well Spent Part 3
I once met someone who joins the circus every summer. That single confession opened a door I didn’t know existed.
This wonderful physical therapist’s adventure is not in fantasy but is in real life. She escapes to a life of acrobats and clowns that brings out a part of her that no other experience can. This is her favorite way to spend time.
My favorite way to spend time is exploring. I love new places, all the way from Alabama’s ancient Pyramids at Moundville to its natural Bridge near Double Springs, to Europe’s castles, country sides, and museums. But people are far more interesting to me. A person’s story captivates me more than any beautiful view, museum, or architectural marvel. Whether I’m traveling to distant towns or wandering my own neighborhood, I’m drawn to conversation that takes me to places I could never go by myself.
People are like beautiful views that extend my horizons and transport me to breathtaking ideas and perspectives. They resemble architectural marvels yet prove even more fascinating: each person is not a static sculpture but a living, breathing, one-of-a-kind edifice in motion. And because these precious living structures will not remain on this plane forever, each encounter becomes something to cherish and revere.
A person is not a loosely constructed set of behaviors and feelings, but a carefully wrought spiritual landmark on the human landscape. People’s stories, opinions, humor, antics, expressions, wisdom, observations, and presence all illuminate and inform, leading to countless explorations that open up in the simplest conversations. There is always a blessing waiting in these exchanges; there is always something sacred in the act of truly seeing another person. Their stories are gifts.
When talking with someone in any depth, I usually ask a simple question: How do you spend your time? After we’ve settled into conversation, I might ask, “What have you done today?” When we go deeper still, I ask about the foods they love and their favorite dishes. I have yet to meet someone who didn’t want to answer. What we like to do and what we like to eat make a universal language; it always creates a level playing field among various types of folks. I share my preferences too, creating an exchange that builds trust.
Remember the person who joins the circus every year? I learned about it simply by asking, “What do you do when you’re not working?” Her answer was unlike any I’d ever received: “I join the circus every summer. I learn acrobatics and clowning. I meet amazing people and have a family in another part of the country.” You can imagine the worlds of conversation that opened up after that revelation… stories of big tops and welcomed nets beneath the trapeze, making children laugh, belonging, and most of all being one’s true self!
Meister Eckhart, a mystic, priest, and philosopher (1260–1328), taught that there is a divine spark within each of us, and that we become conscious of our connection to God by recognizing this inner light. He wrote, “Every single creature is full of God and is a book about God. Every creature is a word of God.” If I may be so bold, I would like to extend Meister Eckhart’s thought: Every creature whether we know it or not, is a moving temple to God.
The person who joins the circus, and countless others I’ve been fortunate to meet, are human temples into which, if invited, I see a part of God that I would never have experienced. That is a wonderful way to spend time.
Spiritual practice: In a conversation with someone you do not know well, explore with them some simple questions like “How do you spend time?” “What is your favorite food?” What evolves in your conversation, and what did you find out about God that you didn’t know?
Self-inquiry: What is the most important thing for you to experience in a conversation with another?
Prayer:
Dear God, I am so thankful for the people who show me who you really are. Amen
