Which would make you happier: more time or more money? Most people want both and say they\u2019d be happier if they had both. However, most of us spend the majority of our time chasing money and sacrificing our experiences and relationships in the quest for financial security.<\/p>\n
Our consumer-driven economy supports this notion that more money equals more happiness. Consequently, you need to work more overtime, make more money, and buy more stuff to be happy, right?<\/p>\n
Suddenly, a pandemic<\/a> strikes and many of us have all this time at home with our families. Ironically, we don\u2019t even realize what a profound gift this is. We say we\u2019re \u201cstuck at home\u201d and \u201cquarantined\u201d and \u201cgetting cabin fever.\u201d If I had little ones running around, I can imagine saying, \u201cThese kids are driving me nuts! I can\u2019t get anything done with them here!\u201d<\/p>\n Just a few months ago, I was teaching four writing classes at UCF, teaching spin classes at my local gym four nights per week, and riding my bicycle on Saturdays for three or more hours. Other time I had was spent grading papers and working on various writing projects of my own. The only real family time I had was on Sundays. Admittedly, my daughters are older now (24 and 21) and they work, but at least we made an effort.<\/p>\n We were all doing our own thing and barely saw each other save for that Sunday afternoon dinner. My father would\u2019ve called this living the \u201crat race,\u201d where you spend your whole life chasing a piece of cheese you\u2019ll never get.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Still, we were all doing our own thing and barely saw each other save for that Sunday afternoon dinner. My father would\u2019ve called this living the \u201crat race,\u201d where you spend your whole life chasing a piece of cheese you\u2019ll never get.<\/p>\n Of course you need to earn a living, but how much is really enough? Perhaps you can justify wanting more money because you\u2019re saving up for that family vacation. Great\u2014 you work 51 weeks a year so you can spend one week with people you hardly know because you\u2019re busy making money\u2014so you can spend time with them. That makes total sense.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a telling line of dialogue in the movie Interstellar<\/em> written by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan. Matthew McConaughey\u2019s character shares some wisdom from his late wife: \u201cWe\u2019re just here to be memories for our kids.\u201d Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, underscores this sentiment in his final essay: \u201cThe wealth I have won in my life I cannot bring with me. What I can bring is only the memories precipitated by love.\u201d<\/p>\n In his article for The New York Times,<\/em> \u201cHow Quarantine Has Brought My Family Closer Together,\u201d essayist Clint Edwards writes, \u201cSo in this moment of reflection, I\u2019m taking an accounting of what our children really need to grow into well-rounded, responsible adults with active bodies and brains, and what we might have been missing as a family because of trying to do too much. Perhaps what we really needed all along was less on our plates and more time with one another.\u201d<\/p>\n Time, time, time, see what\u2019s become of us. I\u2019m paraphrasing the song \u201cHazy Shade of Winter\u201d by Simon & Garfunkel, but it\u2019s true: We\u2019ve been spending so much time in our work routines that when given the gift of time with our families, many of us don\u2019t even recognize it or know what to do with it! That\u2019s insane. Stop reading or listening to this for an instant and smack your cheek!<\/p>\n Seriously, let\u2019s slow down and appreciate this time. I\u2019ve been trying to deepen my bond with my daughters, watching TV shows and movies with them and just sitting and talking, asking more about their lives. I\u2019ve been taking nightly walks with my wife. We discuss current events, drama at work, and whatever\u2019s going on with our girls.<\/p>\n It\u2019s amazing how much I\u2019ve enjoyed these simple moments, and it\u2019s sad that it took a global pandemic for me to realize this. Our lives are fleeting, and the ultimate gift is giving our time to our loved ones to make memories. That is<\/em> why we\u2019re here. This isn\u2019t a new concept, just one we keep forgetting as companies advertise the latest slice of cheese that\u2019s supposed to taste like happiness (I know, cheese does taste like happiness, but you get the point).<\/p>\n Let\u2019s make a promise that no matter what happens during these tough times, we\u2019ll reconsider our priorities and make decisions that will give us more time with those we love. \u201cI sustain myself with the love of my family,\u201d wrote celebrated author Maya Angelou.<\/p>\n We Knights know how to prevail against great adversity, so let\u2019s cherish the moments. Let\u2019s allow them to give us strength and hope and, yes, sustain us through this crisis.<\/p>\n Peter Telep<\/em><\/strong> is a senior instructor in UCF\u2019s Department of English. He can be reached at <\/em>Peter.Telep@ucf.edu<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The UCF Forum<\/strong> is a weekly series of opinion columns from faculty, staff and students who serve on a panel for a year. A new column is posted each Wednesday on <\/em>UCF Today<\/em><\/a> and then broadcast on WUCF-FM (89.9) between 7:50 and 8 a.m. Sunday. Opinions expressed are those of the columnists, and are not necessarily shared by the University of Central Florida.<\/em><\/p>\n