“Reading makes a full man, meditation a profound man, discourse a clear man.”
– Benjamin Franklin

In reading this quote, I am once again convinced that I would have liked Benjamin Franklin. I am particularly fond of this quote because I think it strikes at the heart of many of the problems we have in our society today. First and foremost of these problems are that we do not read enough.

I just finished reading Re-Imagine by Tom Peters. It is a fascinating book and anyone remotely involved in business should read it. I believe Tom Peters may not be completely accurate about many of his statements. But I also believe he is closer to the truth than most other business books I have read.

I suppose Ben Franklin would like to hear I have spent quite a bit of time meditating about this book. The ideas, statements, and facts in this book have given me quite a lot to think about. I have found most of this book very thought-provoking. Some parts of this book I read more than once to make sure I understood it completely. Although there were times when it was difficult to put the book down, there were also times when I had to put the book down to allow adequate time for the ideas to “sink-in.”

In case you didn’t know it, discourse means to discuss and converse. Once again, Benjamin Franklin would be happy to know that I have talked about this book to several people. In fact, I have talked a great deal about this book to several people. I am certain there are people who will be glad to know that I have finally finished this book and are anxious to see me read something different! To those people I beleaguered about the ideas in this book, I apologize.

After reading this, I hope you are at least interested enough to pick up a copy of this book and read it yourself. For what its worth, when was the last time you read a book that, to use the words of Mr. Franklin, made you a full, profound, and clear person. By the way, if you haven’t read anything that fits in this category may I recommend Re-Imagine by Tom Peters? Rest assured that I would be more than willing to enter into a discourse with you about it.

“If you want to make the most of your life, make the most of your time – for time is the stuff of life.” – Benjamin Franklin

Or something like that – I can’t find the actual quote, but that is pretty much the main point. I haven’t updated this in a while because I’ve been busy. Instead of writing, I’ve been spending my time on far more important matters. I’ve been devoting far too much of my time lately to taking care of, worrying about, and looking after a sick spouse and sick children, because they are what are truly important to me.

It’s easy to see what people are focused on, what they view as important because that is where they invariably spend the largest amount of their time. If you read this frequently enough, you have probably surmised that I don’t watch much television. There are a couple of reasons for this. The first being that there are far more on television that I DO NOT want my children seeing than there are things that I DO want my children seeing. Secondly, so much of what I see is just “brain candy.” I find very little that nurtures my mind like a good book, or a good movie, or (heaven forbid) a face-to-face conversation with someone. Finally, I don’t watch much television because it simply isn’t important to me. It isn’t as important as a helping my children chase the dog around the yard, or build a tower out of blocks, or talking to my wife while we do the dishes together.

I am posting this on Valentine’s Day for a reason. You see, the real way to spell love is T-I-M-E. Nothing says I don’t love you quite like, “I don’t have time for you.” I can’t be with you now, because something else is more important. I might be completely wrong about this, but I would be willing to bet that most wives would gladly forego the chocolates and the flowers for some time together. Time spent away from the telephone, cell phones, email, radio, and television.

When I met my wife I used to call her almost every day. When we talked, each conversation lasted close to an hour. Then there came those moments when neither of us talked; and those moments were even more comfortable than when there were words. We still talk. Of course now we have children and jobs and conflicting schedules, but we still talk. Sometimes we talk on cell phones, sometimes we email. But whenever possible, we talk face-to-face.

Today my wife is going to be tired. She is tired because we stayed up too late talking. Despite hectic schedules we try to make as much time as possible for each other. That takes commitment, energy, and love.

Whether we admit it or not, we spend time doing what we really love. In a “typical” week, I will spend at least 50 hours working. At the end of that week I’m not nearly as stressed out as some people I know who barely put in 40 hours a week. I can put in the extra hours because I love my work. I find it challenging and enjoyable. At the same time, when I’m home I spend as much of my time as possible with my family because I love them. And time spent with someone or doing something you love should always be precious.

For what it’s worth Benjamin Franklin was right. Time is the stuff of life. We should make certain to spend as much of it as possible with the people we love. Time is still the ultimate Valentine’s Day gift. Just make sure you give it everyday, not just today.