Blowing through 40 days...

Well so much for posting every day! I guess it's a good thing in a way. I feel as though I've run out of thoughts on TV worth posting about. So maybe it's fading into the background a little more. I'm finding more to do with my time that involves real life and real people. I'll continue to post, but I think I'll start to space it out a little more...

In any case, I wanted to post this morning because I've now given up TV for more than 40 days - a duration of biblical proportions... :-) Biblical in the sense that 40 days is often a measure of time that is used biblically, not in the sense that my sacrifice is so groundbreaking that it belongs in the bible. Given the time of year and the number of days I've now gone without TV, I thought it would be fitting to reflect just a little on one of the church's most time honored traditions, Lent.

I think the purpose of lent is often confused with the purpose of New Year's Eve. For a lot of people lent is identified as the 40 day period leading up to Easter where you have to give something up. I didn't give up TV for lent, I'm giving it up for life - it's just coincidence that I started right around the start of lent. So as we approach Easter, we've now surpassed the 40th day since I've sat on my couch and watched one of my favorite shows.

It's interesting that I really don't feel like I have much to report anymore. I guess I'm not thinking about it so much anymore. Maybe I really am kicking the habit of watching television. Don't get me wrong - I have my moments where I really miss it, and there are moments (like this evening) where I REALLY want to watch it, but denying myself the privilege has - to some extent - become habit. Success! If this were a New Year's resolution, I'd be among the 8% of people that claim to successfully keep their New Year's resolution (I don't even believe that stat, but that's what it says on the interwebs!). And it's a big one too! This isn't something vague like eat healthier or temporary like lose five pounds - this is significant and permanent! Anyway... I digress upon my high horse. OK, maybe one more little digression... :-)

Lent. Lent, lent, lent... Lent is not just a time to give something up and it's main purpose is not to make resolutions for self-improvement. In fact, that's only a fraction of what we're supposed to do with lent. Lent is (as my dear illegitimate source, wikipedia professes) a period intended to prepare a believer for the commemoration of Christ's death and resurrection via PRAYER, PATIENCE and ALMSGIVING... oh and self-denial (the focus of sacrifice that people seemed to have picked up). Well, what happened to those first three?

It seems to me that when you reeeeallly think about it, self-denial is actually the easiest - especially on the level at which people I know participate. Just don't do something. It's actually an act of inactivity. No action required. But I think that sincerely remembering what the Easter seasons is all about is a very active process. So now, whether the temptation to watch TV is behind me or in the forefront of my mind, I'm considering it my act of self-denial, and I'm going to use my extra time to do the other 75% of the actions of Lent: pray, practice patience (however I do that), and to give charitably of my time and resources.

Today's temptation rating: 9.3

Days without incident: 41