Today's thought: scarcity will make anything dear and precious what once plentiful and taken for granted.

When I was in college, I had far more free time than money, so table-top role-playing games were a natural hobby. They required either an up-front initial investment for a rulebook, or none at all if the group were rules-light. A good table-top role-playing session took many hours to get into character, get the story out and to resolution.

Now, I have far less free time (I don't have that much more money, sadly.) I didn't realize how much I squandered a once-plentiful resource.

More recently, I had liberty to talk to some dear friends frequently. I did so, and treasured that time. Circumstances on both sides reduced that, and I now treasure the time I have with them.

Of course, I also had time in recent past to devote to writing, and my work has suddenly turned ravenous in terms of hours. This has made me look back at so many whiled away periods of idyll that I know now could have been spent more productively.

Then again, hindsight is known to sometimes be quite merciless.