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"In the beginning, she had an idea: and she thought it great. And that was good.
I shall go low tech for Lent! I shall report! I shall... be pious?
And she tried, and that was a different story."
-the book of ryot
So up late I get the idea to dump my high tech gadgets over Lent. It's just 40 days... and what the hell do I do in a day? It will make a good story! Getting outside is good for you, er me! This can only lead to good things; well I don't know if I was drinking when I came to this conclusion but let's take a look at how this played out.
Usually Mardi Gras is looked forward to and decadently observed in my little world, this year I had already started making excuses for my commitment to lessen long before Ash Wednesday. Um, I need my... phone still, it is how I talk to my mom and what if there is an emergency? ..... yea. So there I have social networks, all sorts of media and the ability to get more. And I can't take away the TV, I'm not the only one in the house; or wait! I can watch TV when they do and just not play video games. Wait, did I say not play video games, that's stupid. So in the zero hour it became I won't use my laptop for Lent. That will still get me out of the house, using my free time more wisely and save monies... somehow. Again, I forget it's bitter cold here in the middle of nowhere and there is little to nothing to do in this one horse town; oh yea, and I'm incurably lazy with no attention span.
So I started off ok, walking to the store in time I might have been WoWing, cleaning when I could have been blogging and talking to the better half, myself, and my higher power in my quieter moments; this lasted a week, maybe 10 days. Then I was sorta bored, and the house was pretty clean and the cats were looking at me sideways cause I had started making costumes and creating tiny puzzles for them to solve.
I started coming up with excuses for the better half to use my computer, check things, listen to Pandora pull up movies (you see where this is headed); suddenly the retrospective moments vanished. I spent more time using internet programs I usually did on the computer on my phone and game console. I got better at cheating. Gave up a PC mmo and started a console one. Then I read somewhere that Sundays didn't count in Lent and out the window went any sort of resolve. Like a doomed New Year's resolution I then lamented my failure instead of just trying again at piety, meditation, alms-giving, repentance and self-reflection I sulkingly plodded on doing the same. It just built and built until it was pointless in my eyes so I sorta just sat stagnant. This was supposed to be a time for me, regardless of religion, to focus on faith, bettering of my body and soul; and I made it 40 days of excuses, corner cutting and cheating. I gave up WoW for Lent but picked DCUO back up.
I realize and winder how many other people may be turning a good thing around and in that making it the exact opposite of what they wanted.
Why couldn't I give up driving? I don't even have a damned car.
NOTE: No, I am not making light of sacrifice, meditation, prayer, penance or repentance. I am also not making statements to anyone's belief or experience over Lent but my own. Lastly I make no clams to the validity of ANY religion. (What the hell would I know?)
