It’s never good to start out any story in print with a question, because whoever starts reading may not care about the answer.

Well, I am breaking that rule this week by asking what are your priorities?

For too many people their priority appears to be how much time they can spending on their phone. Senseless games, inane tweets about inconsequential flotsam of life, harmful attacks through the Internet and how much can they document of their lives on social media drive the majority of their lives.

If you are offended, I am sorry. If you didn’t quit reading after I started with a question, and obviously you didn’t if you reached this point in the column, please don’t stop now.

Last week our Rotary Club had a meeting. We didn’t have a guest speaker. We talked about a problem that is plaguing most civic clubs. Why is it so hard to attain new members and even harder to retain them was the main theme.

It was a thought-provoking talk. And no matter what the possible solutions suggested might be there was one dark cloud hanging over us – time.

True, there are legitimate reasons and one of those is family should be a priority. That means driving your children to sports practices and to make sure you are at their game or to music or dance classes and recitals. Children demand our time. They should be the top priority.

We meet once a week early in the morning. Driving children to school or early morning business meetings were cited as reasons people aren’t interested. Both legitimate reasons.

But where does the 24 hours in a day go? Oops, another question. Back in the day when there were only three major TV networks, nothing streamed except creeks and rivers, and you had to actually dial someone up on a phone and bingeing meant you ate or drank too much we seemed to have more time.

We sat down to eat dinner as a family. There were football, baseball and basketball practices and games as well as piano lessons. There was always time. People joined civic clubs. They worked the food booths at the Tennessee Walking

Horse National Celebration on the nights they were assigned. They invested their time into the community with various service projects.

I have always believed that if are committed to being part of a club, a board or whatever, then you need to be there in support of the cause and your fellow members. I admit I have slipped in my Rotary attendance, something that would have been allowed by fellow members many, many years ago.

We all have the same amount of time each day. Make it a priority to spend that time on worthwhile activities.