Ash Wednesday

This week was the beginning of Lent, which is marked by Ash Wednesday. Lent ends on Easter Sunday, marking symbolically 40 days from start to finish. This is celebrated by many Catholics. I went to High School where the religion was predominantly Catholic. So many of my friends would participate in Lent giving some sort of sacrifice for the 40 days. Often it would be chocolate or soda and it seemed that though they started off with good intentions often they would not last through the whole 40 days without their loved chocolate, or what not.

Several years have passed by and I became a room mate of Elizabeth who the previous year had decided to celebrate Lent and give up something for 40 days. (She is LDS not Catholic) She liked the idea of sacrifice. Again that year she was going to celebrate Lent and give up sweets.

This year my parents have several co-workers at work who are all giving up something for Lent. They represent many different faiths but all with the common goal of sacrifice. My parents are giving up ice cream. I know it seems there is some sort of dessert thing going on here. But lets face it, everyone has a hard time saying no to the sweet stuff, it beckons to us, it calls our names, it really is like the devil in disguise.

I have finally chosen to join in with this as well, but I thought Ice cream did not seem like much of a sacrifice to me because I already know I can say no to that. I have gone months without it. Not on purpose, just because I didn't see the need, or more that I would not bring it home, so I wouldn't be able to just have it.

I wanted my sacrifice to be something that I have a hard time saying no to. So I chose personal television watching time.

When I am busy, I don't have time to watch tv or movies or anything, but when I have these random weeks off work where all of a sudden my schedule gets extremely free and I only have to go to an occasional class, I find myself trying to catch up on the TV shows I enjoy seeing, watching them online to catch everything I have missed. Well let me just say this time adds up when on a normal basis I can't watch TV. Then I waste tons of time and well, lets just say it is not good. I find myself wishing I had been more productive. And I find it harder and harder to say no to watching the television shows because I am entertaining myself to death as an Apostle once said.

So for Lent I am giving up the online television watching. Which is where I do most of my tv watching. I will not be giving up the occasional movie watching experience with friends, or family. Just my own personal television watching time which about 99% of my screen time.