(This is a reprise of a Post from December 2010. An idea worth reconsidering today. Happy Thanksgiving, All.)

Some things simply are not important in the scope of things.

Mac or PC? Important to the respective companies, to be sure; but give me either and I’ll get the job done. Number of Twitter followers or Facebook friends? Great possibilities; but not near as important as how you treat those you’re connected to — online or face-to-face.

Pro sports contract negotiations, college bowl selections — 90% of what fills an hour of sports talk radio or sports center highlights — important to the individuals and enterprises they touch, yes. But is the amount of time invested by many of us on such issues just a bit out of proportion?

Red state, blue state, left side of the aisle, right side of the brain — are the things we invest so much time cussing and discussing — are these things as important as the time we spend on them?

This is not to say that purchasing decisions, the thrill of victory and the body politic don’t warrant attention, or to suggest they have no importance.

But (thankfully) every so often I am reminded that it is more important to be quiet for a moment, and consider what really matters.

Time with friends and family really matters.

Experiencing what happens to human beings when we give of ourselves — this is important. Nothing will change a community more quickly. I would certainly do better to shift some of my sports or political talk time to efforts here.

And simply pausing for a few minutes — maybe for a day — to consider the very few things that really matter — this is one of the most important things we can do today.