I didn't desert this place. I didn't have a major crisis that prevented me from being here. I just needed a break from the media that can hold people down at times. Kate, Aaron, and I challenged ourselves to avoid television and the computer for a month. Movies were out. They're just giant TV's. The Internet was out; although I did send a message to my brother that ended up as a "tweet". That was accidental, and Kate forgave me. ;) Cell phones weren't part of our "challenge". However, the Internet on the cell phones were out.
Media just has a powerful way of holding you back. In the past month, I think I've played Monopoly Jr. 50 times with my son. I read through a couple books. Kate and I cozied in front of a fire and talked for about four hours one night/early morning. I honestly don't know if I would have done those things (at least consistently) if I had the hazy glare of the computer screen sitting in front of me. The one exception was work. I was able to access it at work, but even then, I felt like I was cheating. So if it wasn't school related, I wasn't on it.
Did it work? I think it did. We did watch the ball drop in Times Square yesterday, but we didn't turn the television on until 11:59, so Aaron could count down with the rest of America. 12:01; it was off again.
I'm not saying television is bad. I'm not saying the computer is dangerous. But, I had more fun this month without those two things taking up my time than I've probably had with them right in my face. My prayer life got deeper. My Word study became richer. It was a good thing.
As for the other two, they did well. I thought Aaron would miss Disney. I thought Kate would miss TLC. I knew I'd miss football, but we made it. It's amazing how odd it felt to actually read a newspaper to find out the news of the day, but I'm glad the three of us stuck it out this past month.
So, again, I didn't abandon this place. I just got a reality check. :) We could have easily cheated. We weren't around each other 24 hours of the day to see if one of us turned on the television or searched around on the computer. But, without speaking for the two of them, I didn't want to. It became more than just a challenge for me after a couple weeks. It became a serious wake-up call as to how much media plays in my life. For that reason, I never cheated. Did I want to? Yes, but I didn't.
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2 comments:
Hey JB, glad you're back. I was hoping everything was ok with you guys. I love the "no media" idea. Good for you for sticking with it! Not sure I would be able to do the same! :)
I "met" you through Jim Houser's blog last year (2008) and have been checking in on your blog since then.
Happy New Year to you and your family!
Welcome back! Glad to know that your absence was a "retreat" not the result of a crisis. In Mark 6:31, Jesus said to His disciples, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." If the disciples needed that in an existence without media and while being physically with Jesus, how much more must we need it? I am glad that you were able to do it.
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