In less that twenty-four hours from now, my hiatus from social media will be done. Lent, at least for me, comes to a close at midnight tonight. And it’s at that time that I’ll end my sabbatical and return to social media. Lots has happened since I logged on there last and it will be another change to be using those formats once again.
I wish I could say that I’ve had some great epiphanies during the forty-plus day break, but such is not the case, at least to my conscious mind. I did do some things I don’t think I’d done if I’d been distracted by Facebook and the like…I guess that’s the whole point of taking a break.
Without a doubt, the biggest event to take place is finding out that my half-day, every-day teaching position is being phased out at the end of the school year. This was somewhat unexpected, but certainly not something that I had any control over. It will be a good change for the school in that they will have a full time teacher instead of someone (that would be me) for a part of the day.
I realize this is another part of my journey in retirement and although I am experiencing some sadness, I know it’s a part of a bigger plan. I’ve checked into a couple of other leads for similar positions and if something isn’t available there, I can always go back to substitute teaching. It will be nice for a change not to have to do lesson plans and grading students’ work, but I’ve realized that’s a part of who I am and I haven’t really minded it for the past two years.
There are several other things I’ve done that I might not have found time for otherwise. I’ve started reading books by Michael A. Singer, The Untethered Soul and his autobiography, The Surrender Experiment. I’m fascinated by his writing and general philosophy of life. Although I don’t see myself anywhere close to his level of awareness, I have attempted to adopt some of his philosophy in my own life. I highly recommend reading his works to anyone developing a high awareness of our minds and the way they work.
Another activity that sticks out for me is the viewing of the History Channel’s series Jesus — His Life. I saw a preview one day while watching television and watched that night’s episode and was immediately hooked. The series focuses on Jesus’ life as seen through the eyes of people he met along his journey, including some of those who would be considered enemies. Since I subscribe to the cable outlet, I was free to watch past episodes for free. I’ve also found a book that accompanies the series and will watch each episode at least once more to dig deeper. I highly recommend this series to all.
Yesterday I watched The Passion of Christ movie online. I had seen the movie when it first came out and figured Good Friday was an appropriate time to revisit it. I didn’t realize until part way through the movie that the movie had subtitles in English and it was interesting to have watched the first half without understanding much of what was being said.
So the hiatus is nearly over. I’ve made a commitment not to spend so much time on social media as I approach my return. I’ve written so much on WordPress and have found it’s an excellent outlet for expressing myself. I plan on continuing to write each day and not let it lay dormant like I had in previous years. It’s not only a good source for expressing oneself, but is also an excellent source for the writings of others.
So this time tomorrow, social media is back online for me….we shall see if my attitudes and behaviors towards it have changed any.
David Lee
David Lee 