On giving up (things)

I’m not religious.

I guess I feel obligated to put that out there, even though my relationship and thoughts on religion and God are far more complicated than that.

I do, however, participate in Lent every year. I don’t do it for the traditional Lent-observing reasons. I do it for me. I do it to think about my life a bit more, to acknowledge the good and the bad, the vices and the things I should do more of. To be more intentional with my life.

This year I’ve noticed I’m not a positive ball of energy. I don’t acknowledge as often as I should how great my life really is. I have two really great kids, and wonderful, supportive husband, a good and interesting job, and time to spend with those I love.

There’s a running complaint that one puts their best face forward on social media – it’s not all rainbows and roses, but to see the facebook posts and the tweets and the blogs, it may as well be. I don’t feel like that is the picture I paint about my life. I feel like sometimes all I do is complain. Henry won’t stop crying every morning and Spencer ruins things at school for no reason, C retreats to the office to play zombie Sims too often … but these things are such a small part of my life and I feel like I get wrapped up in the nitpicky minutia and stop looking at the big picture.

There are other, non-Instagram photo parts to this decision. I want to start reading to the kids at night (I hate this, but they love it) and just join C in the office more often when he’s playing his games (there’s a couch in there for a reason). Go on family walks/bike rides (sorry for the rest of the country, but the weather is pretty amazing here right now). Have my parents over for dinner that isn’t a holiday. I might also be toying with giving up alcohol too, but I’ve got 12 hours more to make that decision.

We are happy. We are healthy. And I would like to give myself the opportunity to be intentionally positive about the life I lead.

#40daysofhappiness