Although most people make resolutions for personal and professional improvement on New Year's Day, I have found Independence Day to be a more meaningful time for me. Yeah, yeah...New Year, New Beginning, New You...I appreciate the metaphor, however what could be more powerful than claiming independence from those things holding me back from realizing my fullest, most joyful self?
Since last July 4th, I've achieved independence from:
diet sodas
smoking
artificial sweeteners
wheat
sloth
fear
impatience
I was only intentional about the top 4 things, which I admit were at the level of addiction. The additional ones occurred organically as a result of living at a Contemplative Retreat Center...a bonus of sorts.
It's been quite a year, so in the interest of balance, my personal declaration of independence is shorter this July 4th...nevertheless intentional. These are BIGGIES and have been with me since childhood, except the last one:
Watching television
Sugar
Procrastination
Cursing
The television, VCR/DVD player, all remote controls and owner's manuals have been neatly tucked away in a closet.
Since sugar truly is an addiction for me, I have to quit cold turkey. Nor do I intend to replace sugary treats and snacks with sugar-free alternatives...that's just silly. Please send blankets. I envision myself crouched in a corner of the basement shivering from withdrawal, like someone coming off of crack.
The latter two, I'll take a day, an hour or a moment at a time. I am amused at the irony of posting this 5 days after July 4th and will miss cursing, but look forward to an expanded vocabulary.
I've lit the fuse on this Independence Day. Time will tell if the sky lights up with brilliance.
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3 comments:
OK, good luck with that, but why television watching? What's wrong with that?
Let's see...what's wrong with TV:
1. TV reception on The Ridge is pretty poor. By the time the rabbit ears are adjusted to the right spot, the program is over.
2. TV is a great tool for procrastinators. So, take away the TV and see how much I accomplish.
3. Programming, in my opinion, is nothing more than regurgitating what has happened in the world recently. Here's a clue: "Ripped from the headlines." starts every episode of Law and Order. There's no originality, which means rather than hiring a creative writer to come up with a new idea, they hire a mediocre writer to take a police report or newspaper article and turn it into a screenplay. The saturation level is so high these days, you hear about a crime on the news, then you read it in the paper, then it shows up on a pop up when you're checking email and then a week, a month, a year later, it becomes the plot of the latest crime drama on TV. It's just too much for me to ingest.
There are other reasons, but in the end, it's my life and my choice as to how I'm going to spend my time and only my humble opinion.
Since we've become parents, Stephen and I have given up virtually all tv for ourselves. At first, I thought I'd miss it terribly. Turns out I don't miss it at all. Now if I could just give up web surfing with the same ease...
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