There is a program that we developed at my library that lets little kids read to senior citizen volunteers. (There are a TON of details, including the partnership with a local agency/ national program that I won't go into here. It's a simple idea, but of course, there is administrative baggage. Trust me- we dotted all the i's and crossed all the t's. Seriously.) If the kids read for 15 minutes, $2.00 in fines are forgiven. It serves a couple of purposes- the seniors have stipendiary employment during the summer when their regular school gigs are in recess, the kids get to wipe off the fines that prevent them from using their library cards, and they practice their reading with charming people who are lovely and affirmative. Additional bonuses are the intergenerational aspect and the good example that it sets to other adults. The seniors also are incredible public relations representatives., not to mention the calm that pervades the whole children's room when they are present.
That this program is nice goes without saying. That it is necessary is indicated by a comment made by one of the young participants in the program. She wrote a thank-you note (this is the South, after all) to the senior with whom she read most often during the summer. "Thank you for wasting your time with me." Wasting your time. As if it is a given that to spend some time with a child- reading- is a waste of time. Of course this was an unconscious statement, which is what makes it all the more powerful in my eyes. It makes me sigh.
I've got a week off work, ostensibly to use up vacation time so I don't lose it (or go nuts from overwork!) I haven't gone on a vacation this year, and my preferred way to spend leisure time is to not leave the house. Is this a waste of time?
My husband asks my plans every day. "What are you going to do today?" Too perky and full of expectations. I finally answered, "Not a damn thing." But of course, I did plenty- of nothing.
I sat, I thought, I attended to pets that crave attention, I ate, drank, and stayed up late. I walked, did a couple of repairs, and learned several new pieces of music. Still, to many, it looks like nothing. A waste of time. If I'm in the company of those senior "time wasters" what more is there to aspire?
