Every Moment Meaningful

 The 19th century Russian novelist Turgenev, once advised, "You have to arrange life so that every moment is meaningful."

And yes, I agree that this ought to be something towards which we aspire. I have blogged about it here. But I also believe that it is probably not possible to spend "every moment" of our lives in a meaningful way. Perhaps it may be, for some who are very far advanced on their spiritual journey - people like the late Thich Nhat Hanh, for example. But I (and I guess most of us) am still very far from achieving that total mindfulness which Turgenev seems to be recommending.

I try to be spiritually awake and to be present for as much of my waking time as I can, so that I can appreciate the world around me, the people around me, more. But sometimes, I just want to blob. To turn off my brain and sit in front of something entertaining on the TV. 

Or lose myself in a wonderful book. And I have found that it is nearly impossible to do this "mindfully". I sit with my eyes flying across the page, filling my mind and heart with the story that is going on in front of my eyes. I guess that at such times, I am fully present to what is happening in the book. But I don't *think* that is the same thing as making every moment meaningful. For me, mindful reading is when I detach slightly from the story and admire what the author is doing with their words and phrases. Or maybe that's just the writer in me.

Or am I misunderstanding what he meant? Does arranging our lives to that every moment is meaningful mean something else? Is it more about being present to what we're doing, whatever that is, whether or not it has meaning for us? 

I don't know... what do you think?