As I admitted recently, I failed at Lent. I took this failure very personally, because, well, it was my failure and I hate it when I let myself or others down. But then a very nice reader reminded me that it doesn’t have to be ‘all or nothing’ and that I could try again without waiting until next year. She also let me know that maybe I don’t have to give something up for Lent, maybe I could DO something instead. I like that idea a lot. Mostly because I’m terrible at giving stuff up (yes, I’m looking at you, chocolate temptress), but also because I can easily identify about a million things that I need to change about myself, habits or my behaviour.
And that leads me here. To my Monday challenge for this week. Weekly challenges may work better for me, since seven days is far less daunting than forty days right off the bat. This week I will be unplugging my internet connection everyday day at 5:30 and will not turn it back on until 7:00 a.m. the following day. If it works out well, and helps me use my evening hours better, I may extend it later, change the hours or even skip days (but I’m getting way ahead of myself here, because I’m breaking out in a sweat just thinking of not being able to look up anything after 5:30 p.m. for the next seven days). Â This technology/electronics blackout will include my iPad, laptop and phone (kiddo, if you’re reading this and you need me after 5:30, call the house, I’ll call you back if I’m not home!)
What I’m hoping that this will accomplish is to help give me back the time I used to have to pursue other interests, like reading (alone and with the kidlets), crocheting, photography, journal writing (with a pen and paper!), music (listening and playing), planning and organizing my house and home, etc. I also want to learn new things, like how to sew and re-finish furniture and lay tile properly. I have a list of things that I want to repurpose, refurbish and redo and I never seem to have (make?) time to do them.
So, now that I’ve committed this challenge to (virtual) paper, I refuse to bungle it up and have to confess yet ANOTHER failure. I’m going for the win here people.
And, since it is St. Patrick’s Day, I’m counting on having the luck ‘o the Irish with me today and for the rest of the week while I detox off 24/7 connectivity and re-enter the land of peace.And now, I’m off to try to bake something ‘green’ for my leprechaun minions 🙂
