letting go of screen time

It's a funny thing to decide to write about on a blog - letting go of screen time. But here goes:

When I was growing up, there were strong boundaries around the television. For many years we didn't have a television. When we got a television, we weren't given many hours to watch tv. Not that I pushed much on that account, I loved playing outside and reading and so many other activities I didn't think much about the t.v. The computer was introduced into my household when I was in high school, but it was an instrument for homework. There were some games, but I never got drawn into that scene.

In College, I met e-mail. I loved it!!!! I spent hours corresponding with friends, drafting long letters outlining philosophical and theological quandaries, social happenings, stories, dreams, and the like. I was hooked. Soon on its heels, the internet with windows-based search engines. Netscape. A whole new world. But it was limited by dial-up.

In my community household in Toronto, we had dialup for a while. Five women, one phone, dialup internet. It was a tricky situation. Then approximately 5 years ago, Lisa, our resident 'field marshall' took it upon herself to get us unlimited high speed internet which would allow the telephone calls to come in at the same time. A whole new world.

Internet surfing.
Chatting.
E-mail.
Solitaire.
Internet surfing.

It started slowly. It seeped into the cracks. It became the first thing I checked in the morning, the first detail to attend to upon returning from work. The last activity of the evening before bed. An evening's activity. I can't imagine life without my computer, without high speed internet. It's a part of my life.

But - I realize that I have not developed limits for internet/computer time in the way that I have continued to maintain boundaries for the television. Why the double standard? Should Kendall and I be blessed with kids, we want to limit t.v. time, and I hear more and more about broadening the label to 'screen time'. That concept makes a whole lot of sense to me. It's the same concept as limiting television in my childhood - encouraging active and imaginative play.

I am pledging to let go of screen time. I would like to get down to 5 hours a week of screen time (non-work related). I've got a long way to go.

But I think that life will open up for me in active and imaginative ways when I do.
A few weeks ago I deliberately didn't turn on the computer when I came home from class, and committed to not turning it on until 8 p.m. I was restless for a bit, then got out a picnic blanket, a novel, and my journal and went outside. It was absolutely lovely. My friend Rachel came home from work and we spent time chatting before she went in. Her husband Sam and my husband Kendall came in from Ultimate Frisbee and joined us on the blanket. It was a glorious hour, opened up by letting go of screen time.

As I enter into a time of transition, I tend to fall back into old habits. I will need extra will-power to let go of screen time right now. But I think that the energy will be worth it. A more active and imaginative life awaits.

A picture is worth a thousand words....

Almost there...

Well, I finished my last 2-page paper today, and tomorrow I have a one hour class and that's it for the semester. I mean, not including the two papers I have extensions for. But it feels tremendous to be at this spot. I'm going to take it easy, do some shopping, and rest up. The summer's going to be busy, and I want to be ready for it!

I'm anticipating a new role as 'domestic goddess' (a.k.a. full-time housewife) this summer, while Kendall interns at Goshen hospital. He'll be working full-time with a half hour commute each way, and I'll mostly be studying at home, so.... the cooking and cleaning and stuff will mostly be mine. That way we'll have evenings together without so much hassle. I'm not really complaining, but I admit I'm not used to it. I'm clearly spoiled.

This weekend is graduation. My mom and Dad, and Kendall's Mom and Aunt Martha are coming, as well as Kendall's brother Mark and Rachel. Should be fun.... Woo hoo!

one doozy of a cold

I'm on the recovering end of one doozy of a cold (fingers crossed now) Wow. I'm weak just thinking about it. Last Tuesday I had a tickle in my throat and a useless kind of cough that didn't do anything about it. By Wednesday my voice was hoarse and quiet, and I still had that useless cough. By Thursday I was mute and I stayed home from classes, sleeping all afternoon and generally feeling under the weather. Still the useless cough. Friday morning I made it to class, with a little bit of a cough and some sneezing, but was so utterly exhausted by the afternoon I slept it all away. Friday night the coughing and sneezing started in earnest, and Kendall said I coughed/sneezed every 30 sec until 3:30 a.m. when I retreated to the living room to allow Kendall to rest. I myself didn't sleep. At noon on Saturday, Kendall got home from his weekend class and I still hadn't slept and was still coughing and fitfully sneezing. He went to CVS and brought home the equivalent of Dayquill/Nyquill. I took some of that, and was promptly asleep for 5 hours that afternoon. I called off my commitments for Sunday, slept 11 hours Saturday night, then 2.5 hours Sunday morning, another 2.5 Sunday afternoon, and a full 8.5 last night.

I don't like depending on pharmaceuticals to become better; I like to think I generally maintain my health with preventative action. I like to exercise, eat healthy, take my vitamins and act on first symptoms with rest. I prefer herbal supplements most of the time - I swear by oil of oregano to take on my ailments, and echinacea or ginseng to boost my immune system. I tried a mustard plaster to loosen up the phlegm in my throat (which it did, it did bring on the serious real coughs) But with this cold, it seems, once the cough came, I couldn't sleep without medicine masking the symptoms. And now I'm still on symptom-masking meds. For which I'm very grateful.

There's always a balance, isn't there? I don't want to medicate every problem; I want to give my body the chance to heal. I want to build up my immune system, I want to prevent illness as much as possible with healthy diet and lifestyle. But when it comes to a cold like this one, I am firmly grateful for whatever's in this Dayquill/Nyquill stuff.

Thinking about thinking about moving on

It's nearing the end of the semester. We're graduating at the end of May! It seems phenomenal to me that the end of our seminary studies is approaching so quickly. I have so much more to learn! I have more questions to ask! We do have coursework to complete over the summer, though, so we will be able to pack a little bit more in 'under the wire' before we move on from here. But that date is fast approaching. And what's happening after that point is at yet unknown.

I find it an exercise in trust - day after day - to be confident that there will be a good life for us after the summer. That a position will open up for us, that we will have a good place to live again, we'll make new friends, that we'll have rich and fulfilling work... it's so much easier to trust when there's something definite in place. Which kind of defeats the purpose of faith, doesn't it?

I'm also noticing that I'm starting to 'shut down' in some ways emotionally and socially in this place already. It's a defense mechanism I have - if I start shutting down now, it might not hurt so much later to say good-bye. So I invite fewer people over, go home earlier, get less emotionally involved in a conversation or committee... and I make fewer social plans. Do you know what I mean?

It's not a good plan, really. We're still here for four more months! I need these people! I have a good life here!

So.... I need to be intentional about living in the present. The present is good. The present is accessible. And the present has many gifts to offer; I need not put all my well-being into the future.

Emmaus Road Days

Sunday was all about encountering Jesus on the Emmaus Road. We heard the story, we sang the story, we participated in a dramatic contemporary rendition of the story, we meditated on the story. And it was good. The sanctuary was all set up in tables; like we were at a banquet or something. I was at one of the youth tables, and one of them commented that in ordinary worship, we're directing our attention and focus on God; in this set up we're directing our attention at each other. Now, it's not that simple (and he didn't mean it to be that simple) but there are those dimensions. The vertical and the horizontal. And something about facing each other, talking to each other about the text and singing side by side around the table gives a solid experience of church as a community of folks discerning together what the will of God is.

I had fun leading the congregation in Bryan's Emmaus Road song. The kids were dancing. I don't have Bryan's facility with the guitar, but had two guitars and an electric bass jamming with me. Ah, it's fun. I guess there's more of a 'performer' in me than I generally give myself credit for. Kendall said that when we were rehearsing before the service, I seemed awkward, wouldn't sing into the mike, and it seemed tense. But when the kids were up front, the congregation was standing and singing, I was just having a great time. I was relaxed, enjoying the song and the experience. And celebrating the chance to bring this great story to life in another way.

It seems as though I'm in a bit of a 'troubadour' phase, since I'm bringing in another song for worship next week. I'm preaching next week on Acts 9:1-19, the story of Paul's call and his encounter with Ananias. And I am bringing in a song I remember well from my childhood, written by Ken Medema. The song's called 'Sittin' by the Window Prayin'" and tells that story from the perspective of Ananias. It's a fun song, refreshing in its outlook. I won't be singing that one (I hope). If it all works out, it will be sung/played by two other members of the congregation. :)

I'm looking forward to preaching; it's been a while since I've praught. (shouldn't that be the past tense? teach, taught; preach....)

The sun is out today, the trees are blooming, and life is just good. So I'm sending out my general well-wishes to the world. :)

Imagining Jesus

Here’s what I imagine. If you were in Galilee, let’s say in the 30’s. You would have seen a person called Jesus. Let’s imagine there were three different people responding to that person. One says, “This guy’s a bore. Let’s leave him.” The second one says, “This guy’s dangerous. Let’s kill him.” The third one says, “I see God here. Let’s follow this guy.” Now each of these, in its own way, is an act of faith.” ~John Dominic Crossan

In his introduction to a special issue of Theology Today on the historical Jesus, Editor Thomas Long tells a story of a little boy who comes home from school appalled. “I found out today that Santa Claus is not real,” he sputtered to his mother. “And another thing,” he hissed as he turned away. “I’m going to get to the bottom of this Jesus business, too.”(1)

I just finished writing a short paper surveying a variety or perspectives on the relationship between history and faith in the "Jesus quest". This was the introduction. Fascinating, really, how tangled up this question can be. I used some of the findings in leading worship over the Easter week, particularly during the Maundy Thursday service. It was helpful to start naming the different ways we approach the person of Jesus. Do we start from above (i.e. Jesus as a divine figure, the second person of the trinity) or from below (Jesus as historical person, born in Nazareth, etc). How do we hold these together?

Fascinating.

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[1] Thomas G. Long. “Stand Up, Stand Up for (the Historical) Jesus.” Editorial Theology Today Vol 52 (April 1995) p. 1.