Found Objects: Fortune


I rescued this little fortune one day while working at Trader Joe's. It was resting on the window sill and just waiting for me as I swept up the area around the registers. It didn't surprise me that there was a fortune lying around seeing that Trader Joe's is two doors down from a Chinese food restaurant. I just had to smile when I thought that this fortune was left in a grocery store and it taught the verb 'To Eat.'

"A day is a span of time no one is wealthy enough to waste" is an appropriate fortune for me. When I'm not a busy bee, I have to force myself to relax. But when I don't force myself to relax, and there is nothing on the agenda, I often have this purposeless feeling. That feeling that seeps into my thoughts often tells me I'm productive only when I'm doing something. When i'm working, reading, blogging, etc. I do just fine, but when I slow down and don't make the choice to relax I tend to get stressed out or sad because I feel like I am wasting time.

But I know that isn't true. I'm not purposeless. (As an added note, I believe we are here, where we are and when we are for a reason.) This struggle has helped me to grow. Dealing with this issue has forced me to see what the purpose of my life is. Living with a purpose, one in which I am confident, helps me to spend down time without feeling listless. Only in living with a purpose in my off-peak seasons have I found productivity in my busier times. When I focus outside of myself, and "look up" so to speak, am I able to find lasting contentment in my 24 hours.

Wealthy or poor, we all get 24 hours in a day. It is a great equalizer. All those thoughts from a divine appointment with a fortune cookie!

Comments

I think that, too often, I forget the truth to this fortune. While I consider myself a rather productive person, I know that I don't always use my time for the best things. This was a good reminder. I'm glad that you are finding objects. Sometimes I do think that God places things in our path that He hopes we will notice. It's too easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and not notice the beauty, complexity (but also simplicity), joy, and awesomeness of life. Maybe not wasting a day is more about the noticing of these things than it is about crossing things off a long list of tasks and goals.