I was in the car with my friend Natalie the other day. We were talking about our favorite authors. Natalie said, “I wish I read more, I just don’t have the time.” Natalie is full-time at university, rows on the varsity team, and also works part-time.
Even given her full schedule, she corrected herself and said, “Well, that’s not true, I could be reading right now if I wanted.” We were in the car with friends and it would have been slightly unusual if she were reading and not engaging in conversation. However, what she said was technically true. She had the time.
What she would have said was, “I wish I read more, but in times like these I value in-person conversation more than reading.”
Twenty-four hours in a day is a lot of time.