Killing Time with the Olympics

Last weekend my husband and I spent some time doing a jigsaw puzzle I gifted him for his recent birthday. He caught the bug early in the pandemic and did a few of them, then got over it, so it was fun to reignite an old passion. But after awhile he said he didn't want to "waste too much time" doing the puzzle, especially since the Olympics were on TV.

So he sat down in from of the TV and proceeded to watch a bunch of young women, some of them just girls really, do backflips and jump off of balance beams, then watched a different bunch of young women play beach volleyball. I couldn't help but think that was a far greater waste of time than doing the jigsaw puzzle, which at least was something he was actually doing himself.

Many people believe that watching the Olympics is something to be admired. They feel self-righteous, as if they themselves were exercising and thus reflecting good health, when all they're doing is just watching TV like always, sitting on their butts and maybe eating some snacks at the same time. Instead of a detective show it's people swimming or lifting weights. Big whoop.

Besides, who decided what is a respectable way to spend time? It might be playing chess for one person (yawn) and baking blueberry muffins for another (ask me for my recipe, they are to die for). Or doing nothing but walking and listening to the birds. After all, those Buddhist monks who live in complete silence on a mountaintop for 20 years are still living legitimate lives. I say do whatever you want with your allotted years and if it's not hurting anyone else, enjoy it.