How I wasted so much time as a young man,
the many, many hours spent working overtime,
meetings and social events of no consequence,
attention given to false friends and to events
that held little interest and no joy.
Oh, but I thought myself nearly immortal then,
time enough until the sun burned out
and then on to other stars.
In my autumn years, I have discovered my mortality.
Except with my closest friends, my default answer is ‘no’
to requests for my time and attention.
Social media? No.
News broadcasts? No and no.
Unsolicited calls? No, no, no.
Television? Nope.
Movies? No, maybe, sometimes yes.
I become a mama bear when my time and attention are attacked,
fiercely protective of my most precious babies.
But where then do I give my time and attention?
Always to curiosity.
Curiosity leads my down the path
to knowledge, surprise, elation, serendipity.
No time can ever be wasted on curiosity.
