Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Reflections on My Lenten Discipline

Perhaps my readers will remember my post about giving up computer games for Lent.

Well...I did just that.

Surprisingly, it wasn't as tough as I thought it might be.

I managed to occupy my extra free time with other activities--most of them involving outside work.

Unfortunately, as I told several people, life without computer games was like to kill me with allergies and in my pocketbook.

Working outside most of the afternoons was very beneficial to my children who enjoyed playing outside, but in East Texas, oak, dust ,grass, and other pollens make your life quite miserable.  Many nights I went to bed with very scratchy eyes full of dust and pollen.  When I awoke, I spent more than a few moments getting all the phlegm out of my throat and nose.  Mucinex became my friend.  During Holy Week, I began a regimen of Zyrtec--or at least the generic brand.  Without that, I probably would not have made it through Easter services.  I guess it was my lot to suffer with such things, though.

My pocket book was a little lighter too.  Video games aren't necessarily cheap, but when I buy one, I play it into the ground.  I will spend countless hours in it, and so the more I play it, the cheaper it becomes.  Working outside posed a little more of a problem.  Yardwork, gardening, and landscaping gets a little pricey.  So is buying a pressure washer and cleaning sidewalks and buildings.  So are materials to keep your cars looking clean.  So are materials to maintain and modify your cars.  You get the picture.

But...

You know...

I think I actually had more fun doing all the work outside.  I actually enjoyed working the muscles of my body as I chopped weeds, dug for plants, hacked at a stump with a grubbing hoe, sweated over my cars, and watched my kids running around and playing.

I have no doubt I'll play a game or two in the future, but when Easter hit, I didn't go running to the computer to get a fix.  I think I managed to break an addiction. 

But we'll see...

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