Friday, February 24, 2017

Lenten fasting

I was looking at my social ‘feed’ the other day 
and it occurred to me that 90% of what was on it was political; 
90% of it had the name of the POTUS 
either in the title or embedded somewhere in the article. 
1 person sucking up 90% of the space on ‘my’ page; 
sucking all the joy out of my world view
and all the emotional oxygen out of the room 
as I sit and read the litanies of horrors 
surrounding him and his minions 
for more frequent
and more prolonged periods of time
than I’d like to admit.

So I had to ask myself – 
is HE really the most important thing in my life?
Is he 90% of what I care about the most?

The answers – NO and Hell NO – came immediately to mind.

It was at that moment that I knew what I’d be giving up for Lent.

This isn’t an opinion piece to advocate being complacent 
or going to back to sleep while Rome burns. 

I intend to stay ‘woke’. 
I have been an engaged citizen of this country since late adolescence 
and will continue to be one. 

But I can no longer deny that I need to re-calibrate my free time.
I need less time staring at a screen – 
and more time observing the world around me -
right here, right now.

I need less sitting inside and reading – 
and more time walking outside, 
reconnecting with 
neighbors, 
nature, 
God 
and myself. 
Lessons painfully learned on the Camino 
and sadly minimized or forgotten over the past 2 years.

I need less clamoring voices in print and news bites 
and more silence and reflection.

I’m giving up Facebook for Lent, 
titrating my intake of news and the sources from which I get it. 

I honestly don’t know how this increased intentionality will play itself out on this blog… 
more images, less words, fewer posts?

I’m willing to give it time to unfold; 
to see where it leads me.

I just know I have to adjust what I consume 
– and ‘fasting’ isn’t only about food – 
although I might be doing some of that as well.

It’s for 40 days.

Taking baby steps back.

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