First of all I must say that I've never observed lent. I'm not Catholic, so whenever I'd hear people talking about what they're giving up for lent, I never really gave it a second thought...I like the idea of sacrificing in order to prepare myself for the celebration of my Risen Savior...I mean, Easter really IS the most important holiday.
So, while I still wouldn't claim to observe lent, some of us need a bit of a kick in the pants to do things we really should have done a while ago and for me that is taking a break from social media. Don't get me wrong, I think Facebook is a great tool...the web groups I belong to help me out and I've gleaned a lot of information from them, but they also tend to be sink holes. At this point in my life, there isn't a whole lot I can do that requires much of an attention span. My life is busy, I don't have much spare time, not to mention brain power...so for me, Facebook (in particular) has become something I can flop down in front of and zone out on for a while while life goes on around me...much like someone would do with the television--but if I turned the television on, I'd be hounded to watch yet ANOTHER episode of Shaun the Sheep, which really wouldn't be relaxing for me.
I'm also a very social person. This is something I didn't really recognize until I had children. Now I'm THAT crazy lady that talks to random strangers in the grocery store. I need social interaction. I don't have time for a lot of friends, nor do I WANT a lot of friends (that's a whole other post in itself), but I like to keep in touch with everyone...so Facebook is a good way to know what's going on in everyone's lives without having to be on the phone or out "calling". The phone is one of the most disruptive tools in the homeschoolers belt...one phone call can throw off our entire school day (what kind of teacher answers the phone in the middle of class??), so although I do keep in contact with a very small group of friends (mostly those who refuse to submit and get on Facebook), that small group and I don't talk often, so a phone call can often last over an hour--in which time my children have sneaked off and effectively avoided doing their work for that entire time.
Soooo...why then do I feel the need to give up something that can be such a great tool? Because I've let it become a master rather than a slave. It has become an escape for me. I find myself thinking of witty status updates while I'm doing my housework. I find that as soon as the baby is in bed, or the children are settled into their school work that I escape to Facebook to see if anyone has commented on my latest witty status, or darling video of my child.
At this point in my life, there are so many other things I need to be doing...things that may not be "fulfilling" or "relaxing" to me, but need to be done...and things that I've thought about wanting to do forever but have put aside because it's too time intensive when really, if I were just to do a little bit at a time, I'd be able to do what I want. It's time to start living my life rather than talking about it. It's time for me to engage and overcome some of those obstacles that are surmountable at this point in my life--there are many insurmountable ones at this time, but that's neither here nor there...my friends on Facebook are wonderful, but my children are more important...and lately I've gotten that switched around.
So although I'll continue using email and blogging, my facebook account is logged out and my other web groups shall not be accessed. It'll be fun to see what I can get accomplished without these "distractions" in my life.
Now, would it be wrong to "Share" this on Facebook?
**I found out I must be logged in to Facebook to share, so I guess I can't!**
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