Lent

Self-admittedly, I am not a devout Catholic.  I don't attend church on a weekly basis, nor have I made a confession in probably 7+ years (since I went to Sunday school).  I do celebrate Easter, but I haven't observed Lent (the 40 days leading up to Easter) in quite some time.  This year I decided (with my newfound obsession with starting anew) to take part in the observation of Lent.  For those of you who don't already know, this consists of 2 things:

1.) No eating any meats on the Wednesday of Lent and the Fridays throughout Lent.

2.) Sacrificing (or cutting down on) something you enjoy for the 40 days.

**Also, I've always heard that if you can't think of something to give up you can think of something to do more of, like going to church more frequently, or taking part in community events.**

So, for Lent this year I have decided to cut down on my TV time to at most 2 hours a day.  Now, for some, this seems like a lot of TV still to be watching.  But see, for me, I always have my TV on... probably nearing 12 hours a day (I know).  I tend to have it on all the time, even when I'm doing homework, when I'm just surfing the Internet, and even sometimes I fall asleep to it.  So, as you can imagine, this is going to be a big change for me.  In fact, it already has been a big change.  Today, I have only watched 30 minutes of TV (Jeopardy! with my dad).  And, yes, my TV in my room has been off all day.  I will say, I already miss it.  There is just something so comforting about TV for me.  The idea it's always there for me, and the shows I watch won't change.  If I watch the same episode of Seinfeld that I have already seen 20 other times, it's still the same.  Same story line; same characters.  Even with reality TV (which tends to be my obsession) there's both entertainment and some level of predictability involved.

So, yes, I am already feeling deprived, but I'm also feeling good.  The thing about Lent is, even if you aren't religious, giving up something you enjoy really helps you build a sense of self-discipline (which I think, for anyone, is an excellent character trait).  Yes, I have already been tempted today to watch TV.  Since I have class in the morning on Wednesdays, I typically come home and have lunch watching The Chew (love).  I didn't today.  It was a new experience eating without the TV on (something I have grown to be accustomed to in my family).  I actually think I enjoyed it more; I was more mindful about my food and I also realized I was full, I think, way before I would have had I been watching TV.

In conclusion, I feel positive about this change I am making.  I think self-disciplining myself in this one aspect of my life will help me realize how I can self-discipline myself in other areas of my life, and hopefully it will teach me to enjoy things in moderation (2 hours vs. 12 hours; I mean, come on!).

After all, I have heard a majority of my professors say, at one time or another, "I don't watch TV" ...maybe they're on to something?!

Now, for all of you: Do you consider yourself religious (in any form, not just Catholic)?  Are you giving up anything for Lent, or are you trying to sacrifice in any area of your life for any reason?

xo,

{K}