QUALITY TIME by A.J."Tony" Paterson (c)

QUALITY TIME by A.J."Tony" Paterson (c)

Once upon a time, in the bustling town of Meadowridge, there lived a young man named Ethan. He was known for his easygoing nature, always surrounded by people—whether they were close friends or mere acquaintances. Meadowridge was a town full of activities, where people could be found lounging in cafes, dancing in the square, or simply wandering the streets in search of company. Ethan, curious by nature, was drawn to the energy of it all.

One sunny afternoon, Ethan sat with his childhood friend, Nora, by the lake, discussing life and ambitions.

"Ethan, you're always around people," Nora remarked. "But are they the right people?"

Ethan, puzzled, looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"You spend so much time with casual friends, and they don’t push you forward. You're capable of so much more, but you’re constantly drifting along, caught in the current of easy conversations and shallow connections."

Ethan laughed lightly, "Come on, Nora, what's wrong with relaxing with whoever’s around? It’s fun. No harm, right?"

Nora looked at him earnestly. "The problem is, Ethan, casual time with casual people can be fun, but when you start spending your quality time with them, you lose focus. You become like the people you're around, and if you’re not careful, you'll lose the spark that makes you special. Eventually, you’ll become... well, a casualty of wasted potential."

Ethan shrugged off Nora's words that day, but they lingered in his mind.

As time passed, Ethan noticed that he spent more time at parties, surrounded by people who were content to coast through life. They were fun, but conversations rarely dug deeper than jokes and gossip. His dreams of becoming a writer, of creating something meaningful, slowly faded as he filled his days with distractions. He began missing important deadlines, losing track of the goals he had once set for himself.

One evening, after yet another casual hangout, Ethan walked through the quiet streets alone. He stopped by a bookstore, where he saw a small group inside—Nora among them—discussing literature, art, and ideas with an intensity that Ethan had almost forgotten existed. As he stood outside the window, watching them laugh and share, he realized something: these were the people he should be spending his quality time with. People who challenged him, who made him think deeper, who nurtured his ambitions rather than let them slip away.

It hit him then. Nora had been right all along. The casual people he’d been spending his best hours with weren’t bad people, but they weren't pushing him toward his potential. The more he gave his precious time to them, the more he was becoming a casualty of his own indecision.

The next day, Ethan decided to make a change. He reached out to Nora, apologized for brushing off her advice, and asked to join her group. Over time, Ethan learned to balance his life—spending his casual time with casual friends but reserving his quality time for those who inspired and pushed him. His writing blossomed, his creativity soared, and he finally began to feel a deep sense of fulfillment.

Ethan’s story became a lesson for the people of Meadowridge. The town’s square still buzzed with casual energy, but there was a growing understanding among the people: the time you give defines the person you become.

Ethan had nearly become a casualty of wasted time. But by choosing to spend his quality moments with those who nurtured his dreams, he rediscovered himself—and more importantly, his purpose.