Though the main goal of this Lent was to add to my life through prayer and quiet time, I thought it worthy to at least give up ONE thing. This Lent meant giving up Seamless. For those outside the universe of the urban city, Seamless is both a website and app where you order takeout online. At the click of a couple buttons, you can have sushi, pizza, spaghetti, etc. delivered to you within an hour. In a city like New York, the options are endless. However, the ease of Seamless comes with an easier excuse to stay in and shut myself away. At my first year of work, I would use Seamless so often that I would never leave my desk nor go out and get some fresh air. I would stare at my computer, then grab food, then stare straight back at my computer.
Thus, as Lent started, I decided not to use Seamless in order to get out of my building more. So far so good in promise, I at least now make a trip outside to get some time in the fresh air (even in the frigid cold of this year’s winter). However, it’s become much more than getting air. I now have more time just to clear my head, taking the rest I’ve needed within long stressful days. Any time spent in my own head, with my own thoughts, means time well spent. It means time spent on not just intellectual matters, but emotional ones as well. I think more about the world around me, as well as connecting with those who exist in it. Over all, it means more time spent with God, than just concentrating on myself.
Furthermore, I observe more than what the same-old, same-old I see in my office everyday. Other bonuses include sometimes packing my own lunch, which helps with my other, outside-Lent goal to be healthy. Best of all, in a minute way, I’m learning to love myself a little deeper by better taking care of myself physically, and in an unexpected way, emotionally. Even more, the saying “Love God as you would yourself,” takes on just a bit more meaning. Giving up Seamless may not seem like much on the outside, however this Lenten sacrifice has been a gift in a small, but great way.