Who has the time?

I just started to read a book called The Cloister Walk and have gotten as far as the end of the Preface. The book apparently tells the story of the author Kathleen Norris' unusual experience of becoming a Benedictine Oblate ( a layperson dedicated to religious life). I was immediately struck by the following of the author's words:

"I had often heard the Benedictines refer to their Liturgy of the Hours ... as "the sanctification of time," but had not much idea of what this could mean until I'd attended the liturgies at St. John on a daily basis for many months. Gradually, my perspective on time had changed. In our culture, time can seem like an enemy: it chews us up and spits us out with appalling ease. But the monastic perspective welcomes time as a gift from God, and seeks to put it to good use rather than allowing us to be used up by it."

Today, regardless of your age or occupation, we all struggle with time. When will we find the time to get work done, do homework, shop for groceries, cut the lawn, hang out with friends, think, pray, listen to music, sleep, read that book you've been meaning to read, write someone back. It can be pretty overwhelming. But, if you look at time as a gift and just try to put it to its best use instead of stressing about fitting everything in, we'd all be better served.