Sometimes one has only a moment or two to indulge in a favorite pastime, and sometimes knowing that one has just that brief fraction of time is enough to discourage one from taking advantage of it. Recently I have realized that I am one of those people. Whenever I have, oh, say, fifteen minutes before I have to leave home for an appointment, I would think, "There's not enough time to do anything. I'll just sit down and read." Then I'd plop myself down and do just that. There are times that the 15 minutes might stretch to 45 minutes because of unforeseen delays. You can do a lot in 45 minutes. Or not.
Having recognized this wrinkle in my personal makeup I thought that in the spirit of self-improvement, I should correct this flaw. What you see above are log cabin blocks that are the result of making the most of my snatches of free time. I would cut strips, or lay out color combinations, or cut individual blocks, or sew a block, or iron one in the fallow 10 minutes that I used to allow to drift past.
It doesn't work quite so well with painting as it takes longer to set up and demands more attention that 10 minutes worth. But some household chores fit in nicely. Sorting laundry, for example. Has to be done. Doesn't take long. Peeling something (preferably vegetables) for dinner. You get the idea.
Yet, is any time truly idle? Will I continue with this self-righteous approach to filling my aimless moments with good deeds? Probably not. BUT. I have identified the issue. I now know that I can find things to do in snatches of time. I understand that I have a choice.
And one of those choices is to pick up a book and sit down and read. For that, too, is a wonderful way to spend "idle" time!
