Ash Wednesday. Lent/Facebook-Free: Day 1

I've come to the conclusion that I'm either crazy or my willpower is having delusions of grandeur... because I've decided to give up Facebook for the Lenten season.

Actually, I'm probably leaning more towards the crazy end of the balance.

Why do we give up something for Lent, anyway? Do we have to? Historically, the period of Lent had three varying purposes. Today, we know it best as an act of penitence and sacrifice. Lent is also related to baptism and renewal, which makes sense because it occurs leading up to the spring season when winter snows start to melt and nature begins to make way for summer. The link to the article at the bottom of the post also has some interesting tidbits and facts you probably didn't know about Lent- like the fact that is it quite likely that pretzels originated from the holiday!

Originally, I was going to give up chocolate. Then I realized that I'd be cheating myself out of the bag of Hershey's Kisses my parents gave me for Valentine's Day, which I'd put into two cocktail glasses and displayed on my bedside table. So conspicuously tempting, I didn't think I could REALLY give up the chocolate for forty days, seeing as that would encompass chocolate ice cream, Aero peppermint bars, and chocolate milk. Impossible!

It suddenly strikes me as slightly funny and insane for thinking I can do the same with Facebook. For how many people is it not an automatic reflex for you to sign in to your Facebook or Twitter account as soon as your computer's booted up? I admit to being as Facebook-hooked as much as the next person. I posted one last status before my self-imposed hiatus. Within minutes, I had horrified, disbelieving reactions in the comments below. I'm actually already feeling even more motivated to be able to give it up. I'm not eliminating my entire online presence (I'm just not strong enough for that!). Since I do use Facebook to keep in touch with long-distance friends and family, or to make plans over Facebook inboxes and chat, I've decided to continue using my Hotmail, which sadly enough is nearly obsolete with texting and Twitter now. I'm going to do weekly posts on this blog about my life without Facebook, and hope I'm not slowly going mental without it.

Thank God for recipes on Pinterest and chocolate, because now I can bake guilt-free all through Lent :)

This blog post was written with the help of:

Why Do Christians Give Up Something for Lent?