LENT:
Lent is a solemn religious observance in the Christian calendar that begins on
Ash Wednesday (Feb. 14th ) and ends 6 weeks later before Easter
Sunday (March 31st). The purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer
for Easter through prayer, doing penance, mortifying the flesh, repentance of
sings, almsgiving, and self denial. In Lent, many Christians commit to fasting,
as well as giving up certain luxuries in order to replicate the sacrifice of
Jesus Christ’s journey into the desert for 40 days. Many use that “extra time” to
read daily devotionals, pray, and meditate in order to draw themselves closer to
God.
So last year for lent I gave up social media. I
was kind of sick of my timeline filled with BS that was stressing me out. I was
pondering giving it up all together but decided instead of a lent break. I have
to say …. I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. Since coming back from
that break this thing that was supposed to be used to be social with people I’d
never know without it has become that for me again. I’ve had conversations with
people, I’ve done more than just share and RT everything in sight. I’ve read
more articles instead of blindly sharing them. It was a nice reminder of what these
sites, FB, Twitter, Instagram etc., were created for.
It’s funny to me cause last year I did it to alleviate
some anxiety in my life to step away from the negativity that had taken over my
social media timeline and this year … it’s more about just stepping away. When
I logged back into all the sites last April I also did a cleanse of my timeline,
followers, friends and now my social media is a place I enjoy going to. This is
truly a sacrifice because I use Social Media to keep up with people, like Golden,
my favorite musicians, sports figures, sporting events, my family etc., so it’s
going to be harder this year than last year I think. I mean the Olympics are
on, my Auburn Gymnastic team is poised to have a fantastic month, I’m going to
see Eric Erdman play a show Wed., and I
won’t be able to talk about it.
However, I’m also reminded of the lessons I learned
from my Social Media break last year, how I posted, what I shared, the positive
energy and negativity that I put out there on my own TL for others to deal with
that kind of thing. It made me a better person both in the digital world and in
real life as this break also allowed me to be fully engaged in the everyday
world I was living in. Let’s not forget
that it was on that Social Media break that by happenstance I found Ed Sheeran’s
music and my ears have been happier for it. I wonder who will hit my radar when
I’m allowed to really see that radar this year?! I also refocused my energy on
this blog during my social media break which reawakened my creative side to an
extent.
So my point to you all is this …. When I turned
off all my notifications last year my phone immediately went silent to the
point I thought it might have died. It was not uncommon for my phone to go off several times an hour, it was a distraction and those 40 days with no notifications made me not miss it or want to
check my various feeds. When I relogged into everything after the break I was
very selective on whose notifications were turned back on, and whom I decide I didn't miss enough to have those constant notifications. That has
made my social media life way more enjoyable and far more social.
I’ll see you guys in March … until then be
safe, take care of yourselves, and if you don’t mind ….do me one favor … check
in on Golden every once in a while for me :D She's planning to do another 40-acts this year and frankly that's what I'll miss the most about this break, she's the most giving person I know and the world needs more people like her.
Thanks,
