“A wasted day can be time well spent so long as it is wasted with purpose” — Anonymous

We are a culture often consumed with the material world. We assess value based on our net worth, which is often decreased by net waste. Time spent amassing wealth is valuable; time spent wasting time is just that. And that could very well lead to a squandered life. 

I beg to differ. Sometimes the best times are the ones deemed nonproductive. Those that touch our heart, but contribute little or nothing to our 401k balance. Sometimes the heart yearns for the immense potential of a wasted day — time spent doing whatever it is that feeds our soul, which is just as critical to our well-being as feeding the bank account. 

Quite simply, we need both to survive. But sometimes one is sacrificed for the other because we walk (or preferably run) through life with blinders on. Tomorrow is assumed and expected, even though it is never promised. We often forget this and in that vein, we forget to value the premise of wasted time. Time spent on just us. 

“Just” us — as if we aren’t important enough to warrant squandered time. Go ahead, squander in whatever way feels best to you.

Waste this day but appreciate this moment. Go for a walk — across the block, across the street or across town. 

Train for a 5K or a marathon — both equally valuable to your psyche. Attend a yoga class or find one online. 

Take more than a day and drive across the country. See the sites. Stop at small towns and chat with the locals. 

Write a love letter or maybe a poem. Share them both with the person you love (even if they aren’t aware of your feelings.) Take a risk.

Go out to eat and order your favorite dish or maybe try something you’ve never eaten before. Cook in your own kitchen but do it with passion and from scratch.

Bake homemade cookies or a meal of comfort food and share them with a friend. Create a new recipe and don’t worry about it failing. If it does, laugh and give yourself credit for trying.

Paint — a wall, a canvas, your nails or the town red.

Dance in your living room or in public. Sing karaoke.

Take a nap. 

Watch a sappy movie, or an action flick. Take your pick. 

Give a heart-felt compliment to a random stranger. 

Read a book on spirituality, meditation, mindfulness or self help. Read a romance novel. Read one of the great classics. Read the comics. Read whatever makes your heart sing.

Write a letter to your former or future self. Review any life regrets and tell yourself that you’ve always done the best you can with what you have, because it’s the truth.

Spend an afternoon with your dog or cat on your lap or lying at your feet. 

Make something with your hands — paint, sculpt, sew, build. Don’t say, “I can’t” or “I never learned to…” Just do it. 

Take time to appreciate — the air, trees, birds, wood, grass — all the world around you.

Volunteer for a charity you believe in. March for a good cause. 

Get out. Do.

Reach out. Make a connection.

Smile. At a friend, at a stranger, at yourself in the mirror.

Look inward. Reflect. Meditate. Pray. Journal. Give thanks.

Be glad that you are you. 

Indulge in unencumbered time. Call it what you want: wasted time, leisure time, meditative time, a vacation from realty or just the weekend. 

Do it unapologetically and with abandon, because it is time spent “just” for you.

— Jill Pertler’s column Slices of Life appears regularly in the Times. She can be reached at slicescolumn@gmail.com.