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Finding Meaning in Life Starts with One Simple Act

Finding Meaning in Life Starts with One Simple Act

Last updated on: June 10, 2026 at 10:24 am by Tom Rapsas

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Finding Meaning in Life Starts with One Simple Act 2026-06-10T10:24:07-06:00 Tom Rapsas

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You don’t have to be religious to partake in a Spiritual Happy Hour. Image by Gemini.

The Benefits of a Spiritual Happy Hour

As I enter my third year of retirement, I’ve learned to appreciate the happy hour. My wife and I are big fans, as we like the idea of getting out, and coming home, early. Not to mention, the discounted prices on food and drink, which at some of our local establishments include Eastern Shore delicacies like fresh Chesapeake oysters and crab dip.

But the happy hour I’m talking about today has nothing to do with a chilled glass of Chardonnay a cold craft beer. It’s a happy hour for the body, mind and soul. I found this compelling idea in the new book The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness by the social philosopher Arthur C. Brooks.

Finding the meaning and purpose of your life is a big subject, maybe the biggest of them all, and Brooks covers it from various angles. I’m going to focus on one vital point Brooks makes that I find the crucial to uncovering out real purpose: Our free time and how we spend it.

There’s More to Leisure Than Not Working

Brooks points out that many of us default to treating leisure as simply not working. We then fill this precious time by ticking off the items on our to-do list or by vegging out in front of the TV. But Brooks asks us to rethink how we spend our downtime and to use it to help better ourselves and maybe even enhance the lives of those around us.

He mentions the 20th century German philosopher Joseph Pieper who had a different take on the meaning of leisure. Pieper saw leisure not as a time to do nothing, but as a period for contemplation and personal reflection. Brooks expands on this idea, telling us it can be also a time for “artistic experiences, learning new ideas or skills, spending time in nature, and deepening relationships.”

The key is to not waste your leisure time. Brooks writes that “If you have an hour off, you might start by checking the news headlines, then answering emails. Before you know it, the time has passed in largely unproductive and forgettable activity.” And for many of us, the free time we have is wasted in exactly the same way.

Our Biggest Barrier to Quality Time: Our Phones

Brooks points to a problem rampant in our modern society, especially among young adults: An over-dependence on our phones. And the issue extends well beyond the young, as it’s not uncommon to see age 60-plus couples at the happy hours I mentioned previously glued to their devices. Our phones distract us from real life, including our surroundings and the person sitting on the bar stool right next to us. Brooks calls out the issue here:

You should be angry about the status quo in America today. If you are simply average, you are checking your phone a couple of hundred times per day and spending five hours or more looking at the device. You probably check it within ten minutes of waking up and almost always have it with you on the toilet. You spend more time with your device than with anyone in your life.

In his newsletter Feasting Friday, dharma artist Erick Godsey offers up similar startling numbers regarding our phone addiction, as well as the issue it causes:

The average person checks their phone 200 times a day. If you’re awake for 16 hours a day, that averages to checking the shimmer every 4.9 minutes. It takes about 20 minutes to drop into a complex task. That means the average person is perpetually distracted.

“Perpetually distracted”! That’s not a good thing. Godsey points out that the phone is not the enemy, but how you use your phone is. You might be putting your phone, iPad or laptop, to good use to learn about subjects or people you’re interested in. But if most of your time is spent scrolling your Instagram feed, it may be time to reclaim your attention.

Brooks advises us “the first step is not about abstinence—throwing away your phone or living without screens. It is instead declaring your independence.” It’s a good bet that when Joseph Peiper was talking about leisure, “he would not include scrolling social media, chuckling at memes, getting drunk, or binge-watching television as useful forms leisure activity.”

What We Need is a Spiritual Happy Hour

Brooks tells the story of the Catholic Archbishop Fulton Sheen, a famous mid-1900s radio and television star. Sheen instructed his listeners to set aside a “holy hour” of prayer, scripture reading, and meditation at the same time every day. But the fact is you don’t have to religious to create your own version of a holy hour or what I prefer to call a Spiritual Happy Hour.

For me this sacred period arrives each morning, just after sunrise. I retreat to my back porch which looks out on a heavily wooded area. I greet the new day by taking some deep breaths, sipping my coffee, and listening to the birds chirping. I usually engage in some form of spiritual reading, writing, or journaling. Sometimes I listen to a guided meditation. But what you do during this spiritual happy hour is totally up to you.

Brooks believes we should give this hour the same priority as a very important meeting. He also has a few suggestions as to how we might meaningfully spend this time:

Take a long walk in a park or an area with green space, with your phone on silent mode to block all distractions.
Have a period of uninterrupted conversation with a person you love.
Spending an hour doing nothing but practicing gratitude, “focusing very consciously on the things you’re grateful for.”

Brooks also encourages us to look for the beauty in our lives, whether in art and music, in nature, or in what he calls moral beauty. This includes spending time with people who have the ability to bring you up, making you feel better about yourself and the world around you.

“This is crucial, valuable time.”

A few important points: You need to schedule this time each day. You also need to safeguard your happy hour like you would anything of value in your life. Think of it as an appointment you can’t miss. Next, consider carrying over the best parts of your hour to other moments throughout the day. Brooks’ ideas include:

Have a no device policy during meals. Turn off all notifications, except perhaps the ringer for when your spouse is calling. Keep the phone out of the bedroom and put it away well before bed. Consume mindfully. This may require you to physically separate yourself from your device. Put it in another room.

Ultimately, finding meaning in life doesn’t require a ton of research or endless soul-searching. It simply requires your presence. Whether you choose to spend your time gazing at nature or in the device-free company of the person you love, a Spiritual Happy Hour gives you a break from the noise and distractions of the world. It can help you find greater clarity, connection and peace. And that’s a happy hour worth raising a glass to.

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