Lent. I'm not Catholic. I'm a moderately respectable Methodist with traditionalist (i.e., Catholic and Orthodox) leanings. I very much agree with the Scottish Twins about why their family celebrates Lent.
Hm. i really like the idea of either giving up complaining or daytime internet. I hadn't decided yet whether to give anything up (Yeah, I'm late), but giving up internet during the day sounds like a very useful temptation to wrestle. Here's why: I gave up TV fifteen years ago when I still smoked, drank and uh other stuff in college. I couldn't keep up with the party schedule and the boy schedule and the school schedule AND the TV schedule, so I ditched the TV. Sold it to my mom for $100 bucks and used the money on more liquor (to the best of my recollection). I've never wanted it back, and as I've matured, I've discovered that when it's on, I'm grouchier, have a shorter temper, and get less done. And the mean lasts, too. I'm a little more cutting for hours after watching. So while we watch movies together on our computer and projector and even watch an occasional TV show, I don't and won't own a TV. However, internet is becoming my new TV. You know those people who let their house go to foreclosure swearing there's no money while paying $150 per month for cable? Well, internet service is the thing I don't know if I could let go. Actually, I think I could let it go. There's always the library if it comes to that. I don't know if Mark could or would though. Well, he would. If we couldn't pay our bills and had trouble buying food, he would definitely give up internet. But only after trimming everything else in the budget.
However, internet at work is getting out of hand. It's very easy to get distracted during a mind-numbing repetitive task (o yes. repetitive taskeses; I haz dem) to look up something that wanders through my brain, and next thing you know, I've been reading blogs for 10 minutes. Uh, ripping off my employer: not what I had in mind for the day.
So yes, I will be using the internet only for work purposes for the rest of Lent. Happily, I'm not actually Catholic or Orthodox, so I need not self-flagellate over waiting until the third day of Lent to address it.
Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThe internet one is proving to be really difficult for me. It's constant temptation in front of me as I work - things like sugar are easy because you can just avoid them.