Giving up

It is the season of Lent once again. When considering what I could "give up" or "take a break from" I thought of many things. I've given up Facebook before but at that time  I saw friends and loved ones daily if not weekly.

This time it means something else. This time I'm really cutting myself off. But the more I thought about it the more I decided it wasn't enough. What good is giving up Facebook if I turn to G+, Twitter and other social media?

Suddenly I found myself researching social media. What is it really? Could I go 40 days without it? The fact that I even had to ask that question made me raise my own brow at myself. And how much social media was I actually using?

As I sorted icons on my phone I became alarmed. I sorted with the loose definition that social media was any website where multiple people were able to contribute into a single stream. This means I'm off of:

Facebook
Instagram
Google +
Twitter
LinkedIn
Foursquare
Pinterest
Flickr
Vine
Goodreads

Please don't misunderstand me. I don't think there is anything wrong with any of these. But they are allowing me to create a false sense of community. Lent is providing the perfect opportunity to look at how I live and decide if I want to try something different. And I do.

This summer we will start year 4 here. I still don't feel particularly attached to my local community but I am trying so very hard. I want to feel like if we left we'd be missed. I can't decide if it's because I still miss Gallatin, TN so much or if my heart is still just a little hesitant to reach out to others.

The best part so far is the number of friends who have turned to text, email and instant message to maintain contact with me. It has helped me not feel nearly as lonely and has really upped how loved I feel. I appreciate these people who aren't daunted by having to do more than "thumb up" a post.

So readers, what did you "give up" for Lent?