Welcome to this week’s meeting of Readers Anonymous.
Hi. My name is Lindsey. And I’m addicted to reading.
“Hi Lindsey.”
I love to read. Books, the newspaper, the vast expanse of words available through the Internet, etc. I guess you could say I’m an Internet-aholic, too. There are emails to read and write, blogs to visit, articles to read, new things to learn. Oh, the Internet is a beautiful place! And when there’s no computer, there’s always a good book.
For a couple weeks now, I’ve been praying daily that God would help me figure out how to better organize myself so I can better organize my family and our home. On the days I tried harder to meet all the needs of my three boys, the state of the house plummeted. On the days when I tried harder to keep the house in a presentable and organized condition, I would get aggravated that the boys were always needing something and interrupting me. On those days the house ended up a mess AND the kids were unhappy. I couldn’t figure out how to jive both boys and house. And so I prayed over and over and over again. There must be a way to create the best in both worlds.
Last night- prayers were answered. And as is usually the case, I wasn’t initially keen on what needs to be done. What does my Heavenly Father say will put me in the right direction?
“Give up the Internet for one week.”
Automatically, I started coming up with excuses. But then I paused. Maybe that’s not such a bad idea. Maybe I should take it a step further- no reading whatsoever (except of course, scripture study. Taking that out would have the opposite effect of the one I am seeking.). No Internet, no newspaper, no books.
Am I going to miss relaxing with some reading? Most definitely. But, for me, this is a matter of instant gratification versus more lasting happiness. The funny thing about happiness is that it often follows sacrificing a good thing for a better thing. Opportunity cost, if you will. If I stop all this reading for a week and see what I can accomplish and set up for the long-term, I believe I’ll be happier. Granted, I’m not positive of what the future week holds. Perhaps this will all backfire in my face. But I think it’s a good step to be taking.
And so, I choose happiness. Good-bye Internet. Good-bye books. Good-bye newspapers. I’ll see you all next Friday and much less often from then on.
The content of this post originated from divine inspiration:) The post itself was inspired by MamaBlogga’s January Group Writing Project. Come join in the fun.
Hi. My name is Lindsey. And I’m addicted to reading.
“Hi Lindsey.”
I love to read. Books, the newspaper, the vast expanse of words available through the Internet, etc. I guess you could say I’m an Internet-aholic, too. There are emails to read and write, blogs to visit, articles to read, new things to learn. Oh, the Internet is a beautiful place! And when there’s no computer, there’s always a good book.
For a couple weeks now, I’ve been praying daily that God would help me figure out how to better organize myself so I can better organize my family and our home. On the days I tried harder to meet all the needs of my three boys, the state of the house plummeted. On the days when I tried harder to keep the house in a presentable and organized condition, I would get aggravated that the boys were always needing something and interrupting me. On those days the house ended up a mess AND the kids were unhappy. I couldn’t figure out how to jive both boys and house. And so I prayed over and over and over again. There must be a way to create the best in both worlds.
Last night- prayers were answered. And as is usually the case, I wasn’t initially keen on what needs to be done. What does my Heavenly Father say will put me in the right direction?
“Give up the Internet for one week.”
Automatically, I started coming up with excuses. But then I paused. Maybe that’s not such a bad idea. Maybe I should take it a step further- no reading whatsoever (except of course, scripture study. Taking that out would have the opposite effect of the one I am seeking.). No Internet, no newspaper, no books.
Am I going to miss relaxing with some reading? Most definitely. But, for me, this is a matter of instant gratification versus more lasting happiness. The funny thing about happiness is that it often follows sacrificing a good thing for a better thing. Opportunity cost, if you will. If I stop all this reading for a week and see what I can accomplish and set up for the long-term, I believe I’ll be happier. Granted, I’m not positive of what the future week holds. Perhaps this will all backfire in my face. But I think it’s a good step to be taking.
And so, I choose happiness. Good-bye Internet. Good-bye books. Good-bye newspapers. I’ll see you all next Friday and much less often from then on.
The content of this post originated from divine inspiration:) The post itself was inspired by MamaBlogga’s January Group Writing Project. Come join in the fun.
2 comments:
Way to go! I'm trying to be really conscious of how much time my kids see me using the computer as well. I don't want to send them the message that this is the most important thing in my life.
I've read some home organization books that I found to be really helpful. Let me know if you're interested. But if you decide that books aren't your answer, I can understand why not after reading this post.
I can so relate to this post every step of the way. Not sure I'm ready to give up reading yet, though.
It's so true that the choice for happiness may not be "instant" happiness, but rather long-term reward...
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