I have tried to become more attentive to words that treat natural elements of ourselves as currency: “paying attention,” “spending time,” “wasting energy.” I have tried to catch myself whenever I use words and phrases like this, and when I do, I try to use other words—“giving my attention,” “sharing my time,” “using my energy”—but I have to go against this immediate, split-second resistance to using words that do not promise that I get something in return for “spending” myself on something.
