Wasted Time

“Recipe for a Tasty Life” by Ellen Hopkins reminds me of my pattern of living.

She begins by pondering why people make plans to begin something brand new when they never really finished the thing they’re in the middle of doing. Hopkins shows this idea by using the imagery of a person throwing away a half baked pie and then having to start a new pie from scratch. Thinking about it this way makes it seem unreasonable as compared to a vague idea of someone starting a new project instead of finishing another one.

Another example used by Hopkins further explaining this idea is picking weevils, or beetles that usually ruin stored food items, out of flour for long amounts of time when in reality, they will never completely be gone. This idea takes it from a different point of view by saying no matter how hard you may work at something it will never be completely finished. This example could also explain the reason people never finish projects, but always seem to begin new ones.

I go through my life beginning new projects over and over, but finishing very few. Ellen Hopkins has challenged me to stop wasting my time and instead putting it to good use by showing more in depth examples of how ridiculous is to begin something and then throw it away just to begin something else that will soon be thrown away half way through.