“In a time where no one seems to have enough time, our devices allow us
to be many places at once — but at the cost of being unable to fully
inhabit the place where we actually want to be. Mindfulness says we can
do better.”
— Time Magazine cover article on mindfulness, February 3,
2014.
Oh Catholic Lent! Self-denial for 40 days. First begins with Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter Sunday. This year that is February 10th until March 24th. Then we can commence back to the sinning!!! ( Just a little humor)
I am not Catholic. I have though, participated in Lent for a few years now. It's mindfulness. Give up harm, replace with good. Mediate for the 40 days and send peace to the world. Give up Facebook on your phone, or all social media and spend time with your children or outdoors enjoying what really matters. Think about what you can give up, to improve your world and the planet we live on.
Write, create, garden, visit loved ones. Take your time. Be thankful. Be grateful. Pray for the world. We are one world and one people.
Blessings to you all and a productive Lent to all who participate.
(You don't have to be Catholic to participate in Lent. It's 40 days of mindfulness and giving up what you REALLY don't need in your life).
Danielle's note:
Because this is month is about relationships, I want to share something I learned about phone and other device usage: When we are interrupted while the middle of something (reading, writing, listening, etc.) the natural human response is irritability.
Let that sink in for a moment.
That means when you are on your phone, texting, responding to an email, or even reading an article in your newsfeed, and your children or significant other interrupt, your natural human reaction is to get irritable.
Once my husband and I went out for Valentine's Day dinner. We were at a moderately expensive restaurant, and I was stunned that we were the only couple in the room without their phones on the table. Truly. And I thought, how can two people be so connected to the digital world that they can't enjoy one special dinner together without the internet.
Whether for lent, as a Valentine's Day gift to your loved one, or just because… Take some time to "turn off" during these last few weeks of winter. Settle in to the long evenings with "device-free" or "internet-free" times. Vow to keep the phones out of sight and turned off during dinner. Plan a family game night and toss the phones in a basket.
Be mindful of your relationship.
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