Food for Thought: Seventeen Fascinating Facts about Our Lives

“What we spend our time on is probably the most important decision we make.”
– Ray Kurzweil

You may be surprised to know that, on average, only about 20% of our lives are spent actually LIVING it. Most of our time is consumed with wok, sleep, eating, watching TV, and the like.  That’s why it’s so important to be present in the moment, appreciate what you have right now, and think carefully about your priorities. Here are some fascinating facts about how we use the time we have here on Earth:

• We spend six months sitting in traffic.
• We spend a year waiting in lines.
• We spend 115 days laughing. (By comparison, in the 1950s we spent three times as long having a chuckle.)
• We spend nearly four years in front of the TV.
• We walk a total distance of four times around the Earth.
• We grow 590 miles of hair.
• We spend 11 years at work.
• We spend 2.5 years cooking.
• We spend 4.4 years eating and consume 30 tons of food.
• We spend two years doing laundry.
• Women spend 17 years trying to lose weight.
• We spend 25 years sleeping.
• We spend two weeks kissing.
• We spend 92% of our time indoors.
• We spend four years surfing the net.
• We spend two years in meetings.
• We drive enough to go to the moon and back three times.

These calculations are based on the average life expectancy at birth for the U.S population in 2016, which was 78.7 years. While the numbers don’t account for multitasking, they’re still striking. What’s the takeaway?  Don’t waste time longing for the past or fretting about the future. We only have one life to live, so why not make the most of it?