Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Going Old School

It's rounding up to that time of year again.  Lent.  With Lent comes my usual media fast.  I've been looking forward to this for a long time.  I say it often but technology is no one's friend.  I often think that I was much happier before Facebook.  I also don't need to be inundated with awful or absurd news all the time.  Violent or ridiculous TV shows leave me feeling stressed and if I watch them before going to bed then I'm pretty much guaranteed to have unpleasant dreams or even a restless night.  Not my idea of entertainment.   I have enough stress to keep my shoulders about my ears.

My husband teases me all the time that all I ever watch is The Walton's,  Romantic Comedies or Jane Austen.  He laughs but there's method to my madness.  No one dies a graphic despicable death.  There are no serial killers waiting to jump out and steal a baby to bring it to bad ends.  No profane language or "adult" content to shield my kids from should they wander into the room.  If I watch that stuff then I tend to swear less.  Yes, it's true!

The great thing about the media fast is that I get to spend that unproductive time doing things that will ultimately make me more efficient.  That means more time for PROJECTS!!!  I'm going to teach myself to crochet.  Oddly, I thought I'd learned to do this as a child but if it's like ice skating, I've proven that, in fact, a skill can be forgotten.  Deeply forgotten!

For me this time-out is coming at a terrific time too.  My life is about to become really fantastically busy.  The time I have left I'll want to dedicate to my family.  It also resets my perspective.  I had a conversation the other day with a loved one who said his marriage was taken over by technology.  That his wife never spends any time with him.  If she's in his presence then her iPhone is always in her hands and she is always distracted by incoming texts.  He said he's watched himself get shoved out of the relationship.  She doesn't even realize what that gadget has done.  He doubts that if she were acquainted with how the wedge has effected their relationship, she still wouldn't be able to give it up.  It has wormed it's way in and it's likely staying for dinner, forever.  Sadly, it is drawing their relationship to an end.  How horrible!  I'm learning in advance from her mistake.  I wouldn't ever want anyone to feel that they were pushed aside.

This is my opportunity to reboot the way I think about technology.  So by and large any blogs I write for the next 46 days will be written out by hand then quickly transcribed during the few minutes I've allotted myself each day.  I'll likely spend more time actually connecting with my friends rather than dashing off short facebook blurbs.  If I don't connect with them much during this time than it's more time I've got to redirect my energy into my work, my home and my family life.  I'll drag out some of my forgotten cook books if I want culinary inspiration.  Don't get me wrong.  I am not so bombastic to think that it won't be a big adjustment.  I am expecting withdrawal.  

I don't know what all this talk about sacrifice is?  Really at the end of the day, it's not much of a sacrifice.  Now if I'd been fool enough to give up coffee or *gasp* booze..... nah, I'm not that crazy!

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