Waste

​Waste
There are a couple of people on tv that come across to me as really smart (I am sure there are many, but these ones I was thinking about).    I find Stan Grant like that.  To me he does not consider only the periphery of a matter but gains a deep understanding of it.  I was thinking of another guy we see on Foxtel called Richard (I do not know his last name).  He seems to be smart and really funny.
Goodness knows why but it got me thinking of giftings.  To me they are gifted in what they do and use it.  That to me was the central theme of what I was thinking about.  To me it is not the gift that matters, but the using of the gift.
I have seen it so often and experienced it myself.  Treating a gift like it is a given.  Taking it for granted.  The trouble with that is with the passage of time what is not used is wasted.  There is no getting the time back.
Like studying for an exam I suppose.  I can prepare and consider in the time leading up to the exam, or I can cram the night before.  The time for relaxed consideration has gone.  There is only time to cram.
I regard wasted time as lost opportunity.  I am busy doing what feels good rather than is good.  I may not regret it at the time, but regret awaits.
But to me regret can be a good thing if it inspires to do.  It is no good if I remain a “woe is me” person and do not go on.  If however I brush myself off and think “I won’t do that again” it is a good thing.
I am thick (a bit of quiet please.  This loud affirmation of yes will have the neighbours asking what’s going on).  It takes me a while to learn some things but the important thing to me is they are learned.  It is weird but to me wasted time is only really wasted if a lesson is not learned.
I reckon it is perfectly natural to regret lost opportunities.  But dwelling on what could have been is a waste if I do not think what could be.  Now is an opportunity.  My future is an opportunity.  Will I continue the waste or make it a thing of the past?
Maybe this is a geeing myself up thing. But I do think encouraging myself is a good idea.  I will not make claims I do not hold to.  That only leads to faltering when I need to be strongest.
I totally reckon I need to stay the course.  I may have done extensive exploring of the bushland, but I have found the road again.