Day Fourteen: Give up the Internet. Just for the day. Or even the afternoon. Look past the screen. Look up, look around, look out the window, look for signs of spring.
It is always amazing to me how the Universe or Great Power or God or whatever one calls that which supports and nourishes our intentions, thoughts and desires moves to do just that when we make up our mind.
This particular Lenten exercise just happened to coincide with a day I was going to an area where connectivity is sketchy. That made this exercise much more "easy" to do. And rather than getting frustrated with not being able to check my email, Facebook and the like, I was able to focus on the time with my friends in Newport Beach.
It was a good time. It was a restful time, And when I returned to "connectivity" I found I did not miss all that much. What I did (re-)discover was that it so easy to get addicted to the instant gratification of electronic communications. Even though it can be somewhat artificial and maybe even superficial, it is a feeling of being in touch without really being in touch.
I relaxed after about an hour of not hearing the familiar ringtone that signals an email has arrived. Instant messages just waited and did not waste away in cyberspace. Over a year ago I did an exercise in going without any mass media communication. No TV, radio, newspaper, etc. This was similar. The main thing I was reminded of is that we can control most of the things that take up our time and attention. We can be deliberate. We can choose.
I love my Facebook. Emails can be informative and a great way to keep in touch when a phone call is too much. And texting is the new way to go really. Yet we need to be mindful that their is a human behind most of these communications and that we do need to "reach out and touch" like they said in the old AT&T commercials years ago.
Nothing will ever replace the face-to-face meeting, the warm handshake or hug, the kiss on the cheek. A smile is worth a million emails...maybe trillion. And again, the main lesson I believe here during these Lenten practices is to be mindful an aware. Otherwise we are just pulled along and miss much of what life is all about.
It is always amazing to me how the Universe or Great Power or God or whatever one calls that which supports and nourishes our intentions, thoughts and desires moves to do just that when we make up our mind.
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| http://jennyjuststuff.blogspot.com/ 2011/12/mindfulness.html |
It was a good time. It was a restful time, And when I returned to "connectivity" I found I did not miss all that much. What I did (re-)discover was that it so easy to get addicted to the instant gratification of electronic communications. Even though it can be somewhat artificial and maybe even superficial, it is a feeling of being in touch without really being in touch.
I relaxed after about an hour of not hearing the familiar ringtone that signals an email has arrived. Instant messages just waited and did not waste away in cyberspace. Over a year ago I did an exercise in going without any mass media communication. No TV, radio, newspaper, etc. This was similar. The main thing I was reminded of is that we can control most of the things that take up our time and attention. We can be deliberate. We can choose.
I love my Facebook. Emails can be informative and a great way to keep in touch when a phone call is too much. And texting is the new way to go really. Yet we need to be mindful that their is a human behind most of these communications and that we do need to "reach out and touch" like they said in the old AT&T commercials years ago.
Nothing will ever replace the face-to-face meeting, the warm handshake or hug, the kiss on the cheek. A smile is worth a million emails...maybe trillion. And again, the main lesson I believe here during these Lenten practices is to be mindful an aware. Otherwise we are just pulled along and miss much of what life is all about.
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