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M E R I D I A N M A G A Z I N E

Upping the Averages
By Vickey Pahnke-Taylor

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According to statistical reports, a seventy-year-old person who has lived an “average life” will have used up some of his mortal experience in the following “average” ways:

13 years to gain an education
24 years to sleep
4 years in conversation
8 years at the dinner table
5 years traveling
3 years of reading

The minutes add up, don't they? If, at an older age, your lifetime was broken down into segments according to how you spent your time, what would your averages be?

One of our hymns includes the lyrics, “Time flies on wings of lightning; we cannot call it back.” (“Improve The Shining Moments,” number 226, Hymns .) Time does seem to fly, doesn't it? All of us wish we could have hung on to certain times for a few extra moments, or could call back a time in order to do it a bit better.

Day in and day out, what are we doing with the time given us to up the averages in our own record? What slots would we wish to add, or change, in that compilation of how we spent our moments?

In pursuing the very best with the hours we are given, shifting a bit of time here or a portion of effort there can genuinely assist in upping our averages.

In pursuing our strengths in a competitive sense, just a bit more time can make the difference. Peter Vidmar, the world-class gymnast, once shared this thought on time, “If another gymnast trains six hour a day, I can't train twelve hours a day. Twelve hours a day in a gym is not healthy! But I can train six hours and fifteen minutes a day. This is where giving it that little extra and going the extra mile makes the difference. In whatever you want to improve upon, whether it be schoolwork, athletics, music, or studying the scriptures, just give a little extra — every day.” ( Ensign , May 1985, pp38-39.)

If we spend years in conversation, are there any things we would like to change in the way we interact? Some are good listeners, but others interrupt time after time — making it difficult for the conversation partner to get much more than a word in edgewise.

“Dads need to give more ear and less lip to their sons.” ( Ensign , November 1982, p.43.) This would help moms, children, friends, and spouses enjoy more successful relationships — and better conversations, as well!

Three years of reading might seem like a long time for some, and very little to others. In the pursuit of raising the standard of life's averages, what we read is important as well as how much we read.

Elder John A. Widtsoe shared these wise words at General Conference, April 1939. They are as true today as they were when he spoke them: “The reading habit is most valuable in life. I mean by that the practice of using a little time, say half an hour a day, in the systematic reading of worthwhile literature. The mind is opened to precious fields of thought; the achievements of the ages become ours; even the future takes form. As the mind and spirit are fed by well chosen reading, comfort, peace and understanding come to the soul. Those who have not tried it, have missed a keen and easily accessible joy.”

How much time do we average smiling?

My youngest little granddaughter does something that causes my heart to sing. Whether it has been a day or several days since we last visited, her eyes light up, she grins from ear to ear, and comes running toward me full force, throwing her arms around me as she squeals my name in delight. Of course, I find this to be one of the pivotal and marvelous moments of my day. No one else greets me in quite the same manner. And I do not suppose I have shown such enthusiasm as does Lexi.

I think I will try this tactic, in some form, today. As I write this column, my husband is escorting a fine young friend through the temple for his endowment this very morning. When he comes home, rather than smiling and hugging him, perhaps I will dart toward him and throw my arms around him as though he has been gone for a week.

When my son comes home, I think I will squeal his name and run to hug him “just because.” I might just make it a habit. My family members might just appreciate that extra bit of enthusiasm and may one day make note of the additional smiles it brought their way!

Doing something for other people makes a life worthwhile. For most of us, our record will show a good amount of service time. What simple shift could up the average of time spent, or quality expended, in our life's record?

Grabbing a stack of laundry to put away so that Mom doesn't have to do it. Adding just one more dollar to our fast offering. Saying “thank you” for service someone has given us. Standing up for someone who is being picked on. Thinking a bit harder about who needs our faithful prayers — and including them by name when we pray.

Smile at your teacher. Smile at your students. Smile at your family. Rinse off your dinner plate. Honk the horn and wave at a neighbor. Tiny increments of time can add a boost of sweet service.

This life is our probationary state and “a time to prepare to meet God” (Alma 12:24.) The minutes of this mortal time add up, quickly and quietly. When all is said and done, what will our record of averages show? What are we doing, on a continual basis, to create a more excellent life with the time given us? Aristotle once said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

God bless us to make a habit of good and sweet things, shifting a little here and a little there, thus upping the averages in the quality of our lives!

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