What I'm "Giving Up" for Lent

 Sarah Combs bedroom, designsponge.com

This image came up when I searched for "Spanish minimalist decor." My home is decorated in a Spanish Mediterranean/Mexican hacienda style, with the goal of a colorful and cozy but uncluttered, minimalist aesthetic. Though I don't care for white walls, this bedroom presents the balance of color and interesting objects with a peaceful simplicity that I love. It is, however, lacking in books, which isn't to be tolerated, and I'd add a bit more artwork and personal effects. I find that one must begin with a vision for one's home, beyond the general desire that it be clean, beautiful, and orderly. What does this have to do with Lent?

For past Lenten seasons I've given up clutter, but I was not specific enough regarding how to make that happen in a systematic way. A couple of weeks ago I was contemplating conservative media in a blog post, and I felt at a loss as to how I might give up certain aspects of internet use for Lent. Immediately following that post, I spent a whole day internet free. 

That was a glorious day. I felt much less stressed. I was more productive, finishing all of my daily routines without feeling rushed. I spent plenty of time in contemplative pursuits--praying the Rosary, spiritual reading, and creative endeavors. It was, like, the perfect day! 

Instead of trying to limit internet use each day to a certain amount of time, and/or cutting out particular things entirely, like social media, I'm going to make Wednesdays and Fridays internet-free for the duration of Lent. These are traditional Catholic days of fasting and abstinence. 

As I'm a vegetarian (I don't even eat fish), I don't need to abstain from meat on Fridays. I will replace that with abstaining from internet use. I think we only have a couple of obligatory fasting days during Lent, one of them being tomorrow, Ash Wednesday. I'm going to extend Wednesdays as days of food fasting, in addition to internet abstinence, throughout this liturgical season. This practice will mitigate some of the internet-produced clutter, which is mostly involving that of the mind, but it also clutters up my time. This leads to my next plan for giving up clutter. 

I will work on decluttering my home for a minimum of three hours a week. I initially thought I'd set it at five, but I want to set myself up for success. Five hours is my true goal, but three will suffice. I will keep a log of the time spent decluttering, and use a timer for 15-minute chunks, so as not to overwhelm myself. The time I'm giving up for decluttering will be in addition to my regular housework. 

I think that between the everyday duties for mental health outlined yesterday and this giving up of time away from the internet and toward decluttering, I will grow in virtue, which is the point of Lent. These small sacrifices will have the added benefit of bringing my vision for my home to more perfect life. I will outline my plans for spiritual devotion for Lent later this week. 

Happy Fat Tuesday everyone, and have a blessed Lent!

Achieving Peace of Heart | Four Everyday Duties

 

One of the books I'm currently reading, Achieving Peace of Heart by Rev. Narcisco Irala, S.J., is going to be an informing guide for my plans this coming Lent. Irala was both a Catholic priest and a psychologist, so we have the good fortune of finding a path to mental health which is rooted in the Faith. The last paragraph of Chapter I reads as follows:

"Four everyday duties will help me to acheive a more healthy mental life. I must resolve, first, to strengthen and govern my body (nourishment, exercise and discipline); secondly, to feed and enlighten my intellect (serious, concentrated work); thirdly, to elevate and control my heart (love of God and neighbor); and finally, to strengthen and exerise my will (decision and constancy)."

I don't think anyone would argue that the Covid-19 crisis has brought about a worldwide mental health problem exponentially greater than what had existed before, and which had already reached alarming levels. If you didn't have a mental illness previously, likely you find yourself now struggling to keep your wits about you and your emotions on an even keel. If your mental health was already very fragile, you may feel yourself nearly drowning.

I think it's extremely interesting that the first of the four everyday duties Irala lists pertains to the physical body. Arguably, if our bodies are not strong and healthy, we will struggle also in the areas of mental, emotional, and spiritual health, and we will be unable to strengthen our wills for the good. 

For this first week of Lent, which begins in two days, I will be focusing on my physical being. I will write down a system for the benefit of my body, contemplating both my strengths and weaknesses in this area. At the end of the week I'll report back with the specifics of my plan. My primary areas of concern are sleep, respiratory function, and physical strength. Physical pain is an impediment to happiness and makes it difficult to concentrate on other things, so for me, reducing pain needs be a primary consideration. 

I think keeping it simple is always key to making lasting changes. So for this week I will work on only three habits, pertaining to a consistent sleep schedule, exercise plan, and respiratory health strategy. In the area of sleep, I will turn off screens by 10:00 and go to bed by 11:00 p.m., with a wake-up time of 9:00 a.m. I tend to need a lot of sleep in winter, so that gives me 10 hours. 

My exercise plan will include morning warm-ups, done standing up, to a couple of praise and worship songs. During mid-day I will take a 15-minute walk, with a route in my neighborhood I already have planned out. A stretching regimen is part of my evening routine, which I need to make sure to complete consistently. Finally, I will add using my neti pot on a daily basis, likely also as part of my evening routine. 

Each week I will proceed to focus on the next everyday duty on the list, and my hope is to have developed a renewed system of habits by the end of Lent. My ultimate goal is to draw closer to Jesus and to align myself more perfectly to his will, eliminating all manner of clutter and distractions, to produce a lifestyle that reflects my deepest values and personal vocation. I desire a peace that cannot be shaken.

Please join me this Lenten season for this journey to a peaceful heart, resting in the Sacred Heart of Our Lord!

Is Conservative Media the Answer?

I've had enough time on the free speech (viz. conservative) social media platforms, Gab and CloutHub, to form something of an opinion in answer to this post's title question, is conservative media the answer? The best I can give you is a wishy-washy probably not. 

First, the pros. I don't spend anywhere near the time on these two platforms as I once did just on Facebook. This is primarily because I don't know anyone on them personally! Alas, none of my Facebook friends have come to find me in either place. I have, however, joined some groups, and that has been a fine experience. The first one I joined was the #WalkAway Campaign, which was the reason I signed up for CloutHub. Speaking of which...

I found out only Friday that on Monday, Brandon Straka was arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol. That's a whole other story, but one thing I heard was that some of the "evidence" against him included comments he made on YouTube, and it was a family member who turned him in. Statements made to Fox News also got him in trouble. So this kind of leads into a related question, as to whether anyone is actually safe using any kind of online media. 

We can find safer options, such as email and internet servers that block ads, don't share your info, and protect your privacy. We can choose social media platforms like Gab that are entirely self-owned and don't censor or fact-check you or spy on what you're doing other places on the web. So you could say that leaving Big Tech and switching to safer options is something of a solution. 

However, if the Leftist mob can shut you down, they will. They are going after the high profile people who have had a strong influence against them first, like poor Brandon. I believe they will eventually fry as many of the smaller fish as they can as well. Unless the whole scheme blows up in their face, which I think is a reasonably likely outcome. I have no doubt that they will start eating each other before it's all said and done. 

Right now I'm leaning toward the conclusion that social media is a plain old bad idea. It's a distraction, an addiction, and largely a waste of time. Following the news, whether it's the big Democrat controlled conglomeration or smaller, more sane alternatives, typically does nothing for one's mental health. Is the solution to cut back, to be very picky about who and how much you read and listen to, or would it be best to cut it all out of your life as entirely as you can? I find that most of my attempts at moderation fail. Once I get started consuming, it's a giant, rolling snowball. I suppose the first step is admitting you have a problem, so I'm probably ahead of the pack by virtue of simply asking these questions. 

What about you? Are you still slogging your way through fruitless sessions on Twitter and Facebook? Have you discovered some better options, but perhaps find them only minimally satisfying? Does viewing the news make you crazy? So then you turn to a Netflix or Hulu binge for escape? 

Where does it all end??? There must be a better way to live. No, I don't necessarily think that getting 100% off the internet is the answer. My family depends on it for a large part of our income, so we must have it. In our personal lives, though, I really don't think it would be hard to live without it. Because I'm old enough that I have. I like blogging, which by now is pretty much old school. I enjoy a TV series now and then. I have been in this place before, and I feel stuck. What changes should be made, and how, if I'm going to live a life around the three themes of this blog for 2021?

I think that wiping the slate clean first would be a feasible approach. Cut it all out and then decide on what, very specifically, to let back in, and how much time to allow for it. For Lent, beginning in 17 days, I could give up all internet but blogging (say, a maximum of once per week), what is needed for work and homeschooling, using the library catalogue online, and a daily, one-hour limit for TV (including YouTube). But no news on any forum and no social media. Okay, I'm going to sleep on that, and then I will proceed to share with you how I'm preparing for Lent and this working plan. I might even give up coffee too, if I'm feeling particularly ascetic!!