At First Lutheran we are reading, We Make the Road by Walking, by Brian McLaren.

Here’s a brief reflection on chapter 1:

The first chapter is all about being alive in creation. What intrigued me the most was simply thinking about when is it that I feel alive vs. when am I mostly walking around "passing time."  Walking in the woods makes me feel alive.

I tend to be a lazy person at heart, who at the same time is very driven by responsibilities. I have a dog who is my responsibility. So out of responsibility I walk him in the woods most days of the week (I'd often be too lazy to go otherwise). We go to conservation land in Lincoln where we both are off leash. I hardly ever see another person (where is everyone?).  The blue of Flint Pond and the green of the trees, the wind on my cheeks, and observing my dog’s incessant chasing of chipmunks make me feel alive.

It makes me wonder how much "aliveness" I'm missing in other areas of life because, having checked off the days list of responsibilities, I  let the laziness of “wasting time” replace what could be Sabbath, rest, recreation, renewal, etc. of “engaging time.”

So too, I wonder why we so often use the term "spending time."  Is time something we spend, like energy or dollar bills?   I wonder what might change of I more often thought of time as a gift of creation that I engage, utilize, inhabit.   

Thank you for taking the time to read this; or giving the time to read this; or engaging these thoughts as you inhabit this moment.