Giving Up

Hello friends.
How are you? I think about you often and wonder what you might be like (if I don't know you), what you are doing, where you live, what stresses you out, what makes you happy...those kind of things. I imagine that in real life we are good friends who have some common ground and like to laugh.

Something has been on my mind (well, several 'somethings' but we'll just stick to one, m'kay?) that I want to share with you. This may mean nothing to you...it may be one of those roll-your-eyes-at-the-computer posts because you seriously cannot relate and will think I need to get out more. Which I'm quite sure I do.

Anyway, I've been thinking about the blogs that I read. And how some of them that I read religiously have a tendency to leave me feeling...like the last girl at the dance to be asked out on the floor. The blogs themselves are great, and I check multiple times a day to see if anything has been written. And when something new posts, I gobble up each word as if I'm starving. And then its done and I sit there and wonder, "Why can't that be me? Why is my life ------ and their life seems so ------? Why can't I -------?" And not just once in a while people...all.the.time. CONSTANTLY.

So I've decided to give it up. Their blogs that is. I deleted them from my RSS feeds. Now, I'm not an extremist here, they're still in my favorites folder...but tucked neatly away so I can't seem the automatically each time I turn on the computer. Its been about a week since I gave them up. And I have to say...it feels good. Not only am I more productive because I'm not wasting my time refreshing my feeds to see if something new just came in, but I am mentally more at ease because I'm not comparing myself to others. I think it was Lysa Terkeurst who once said that we were not equipped to handle other people's pain or blessings. While their blessings may look oh-so-wonderful, the pain that has been allotted to them, may blow us right out of the water. And if it looks like all they have is blessing? Trust me...there is always pain. Kind of comes lump-sum with being human. No one gets away with no pain.

Since my new found freedom of addictive blogs...I've decided for Lent to give up something else. (I'm not one prone to observe Lent; the church I attend doesn't "do" Lent, so we typically don't either. Nothing wrong with it at all, in fact, I kind of like the idea of it.) I THINK I am going to give up TV watching. (Insert huge gasp here) I know. Am I crazy or what? Here's the thing...not all TV is bad. In fact, while we had our week and a half of no school-due-to-snow, I think I wouldn't have survived if it weren't for Nick Jr...I'm just saying. But I caught myself the other night, trying to catch up on my newest Bible study and watch a prime time TV drama at the same time. Now ya'll...seriously...picture this with me. Prime time TV drama....Bible study. Prime time TV drama....Bible study. I was attempting to read some Scripture while watching a murder be solved. Really? Yes, unfortunately...really. And it occurred to me that perhaps that was not the best use of multi-tasking. And I wondered which was a more important use of time.

There is nothing wrong with TV watching. Doing it while you are trying to do a Bible study?...not so much. So I think I'm going to try and give it up during Lent. See how much I'm really missing and if I am not able to get more done without the distraction of prime time dramas.....

So, now its your turn...anything you have given up recently? Anything you plan on giving up for Lent? (Or any other reason?) Care to share? I'd love to know. Maybe we can hold each other accountable!