One Day Less - Evaluating Time Online

Day 13

Whew.  Half way through.  I'll stop crowding up your feed readers soon, promise ;)

And in a similar vein...today I'm going to take some time to look at the places I visit online.  I've weeded them down considerably during this past year but I think more pruning may be in order.  If a site becomes a stumbling block to me, even Catholic ones, right now I think it needs to go.  If a site often causes me to think less of another person, become dissatisfied with my life (not necessarily myself, there's a difference), covet things that I cannot have, become short-tempered with my husband or children, or stirs up anger or despair rather than hope and prayer, it needs to go.  I have so many other things to work on and do that it seems foolish to knowingly add more to that.  It can be easy to fool ourselves into thinking we need to know everything that is going on with all the people but not only is that impossible, it can become a source of pride and as many of us have experienced, a huge distraction to our primary vocation.  

I do think when those kinds of things are stirred up within us, it can be a gift to know where our hearts and treasures truly lie.  It can be humbling and offer us a better glimpse of ourselves and help us realize those vices that otherwise would have remained hidden and then we can work on them.  So I'm not advocating not looking at anything that makes us uncomfortable or angry or disturbs us somehow nor am I saying that every thing we read must be profoundly religious and spiritual.  That would be silly.  But at the same time, there are sites that never leave me feeling edified, like I'm a better person for having read, sometimes even when the fault is my own.  Maybe you have those, too.  When I think of it that way, I know right away which places need to be left for now.  (And to be clear, if you're reading this, it's probably not you ;)  Today, that's my little goal for myself, to make my time online more intentional and edifying and spend less energy and time on the places that don't serve that purpose.

I want to take a moment, too, to thank you for hanging out with me on this little resolution.  Your words and notes mean so much to me.  I love hearing your thoughts on the different things I've posted and you encourage me to be a better person.  Thank you for that :)






5 comments

  1. I like your philosophy of whether or not a blog should remain in your feed or not. I have removed blogs from my feed for a time period, and then later found myself back there (whatever drew me there in the first place brought me back) and I was no longer troubled. I have truly enjoyed this series, and you are not clogging up my feed at all.

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  2. DUDE. I cannot tell you how much I am enjoying these reflections! There is one site in particular I sometimes I stop by, just like gawk at how awful it is (a VERY different understanding of Catholicism than I have)...not cool on my part. Thanks for the reminder!

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  3. This is such a good one...you said it so well.

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  4. I have LOVED your reflections Mary! I have read all of them, eventhough I have not commented!

    I have stopped reading A LOT of blogs, etc over the last year. And truthfully, I am so much happier and better if I take the time to pray, or spend with my family (and do those things I am supposed to do). God Bless!

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  5. Oh my, well this is timely for me. It;s time that I clean out my feed reader and my Instagram feed. You are right- we should only read that which builds us up in our vocation, and that likely looks a little different for all of us.

    Your space here blesses me. These reflections have been lovely!

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