Fat Tuesday

What is your Lenten sacrifice?  I have been turning ideas around in my head because I want to pick something that I believe I can follow through with but will still be a challenge.

In the past I have tried to conquer three or four things believing that if I failed one I still had others to work on.  That really isn't the point, now is it?  I also tried to do things rather than giving up.  Such as not fighting with others or always trying to be the nicer person.  That's something I should be doing every day anyway...

So now, I want to give up one thing and stick to it and be successful.  It also must give me some blessings that will enhance my spiritual life as well as overall quality of life.  Giving up a certain food or type of food would influence my health (maybe, I would probably wind up picking something just as satisfying believing I was holding to my sacrifice) but it wouldn't affect my spiritual life.  God does not really care if I give up chocolate, I am sure.  It will not lead me to Him.

What have I decided to give up?  Television.  I am procrastinating at home and at work by watching streaming video online of shows that suck me in.  Which most television shows suck me in really easily.  I was one of those children who watched Nickelodeon all day during the summers and so as an adult I love television.  Does it really improve the quality of my life?  Absolutely not.  In fact I could be cleaning my apartment or organizing paperwork or learning a new cooking technique.  Instead I like to plop down on the couch and unwind as I like to call it.  I could be saying the rosary every night before going to bed rather than watching TV up the point of crawling into bed.

So, is this something that I should be able to do?  Yes, it should be totally logical to believe that someone could give up watching TV for Lent, right?  I hope so...

I don't want to find myself as an older person wondering why I haven't done all the amazing things in life that other people seem to accomplish outside of work.  I want to organize programs and social functions, I want to be involved.  I don't think you can do that if you spend several hours every week "glued to the tube."  

So, if you happen to see me give into temptation.  Please, please, please please!  Sternly tell me to get up and do something else and tell me that I am hurting myself by breaking my sacrifice and that I am disappointing our Lord.  That should shame me well enough!