~Since I've been busy, I enlisted the help of my good friend Commentatulus, who happens to be a regular contributed to Marbles in a Jar, which is a blog you should really check out. It's pretty shnazzy.~
Apologies for my absence. But I have an excuse.
For a couple weeks I have been going through a crisis...of sorts. I was at college; I was getting all A's and B+'s; I had 3 jobs; yet I still felt like I was doing absolutely nothing with my life.
I wanted to do more, but that urge was never great enough to get me to do anything about it.
Until I found a link on facebook (never a good idea) for an app to calculate
how much time you had wasted on facebook. After a bunch of dings and bubbles and buttons, I was left staring at this picture.
 |
| wow much waste |
Let me repeat, just in case you have poor eyesight.
I've spent 69 consecutive days, 18 additional hours + 52 whole minutes of my life THAT I'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO GET BACK on a website that arguably exists purely for stalking friends you never liked in the first place and don't see [anymore].
HOLY GOOD GOLLY MOLLY GOSH.
I didn't even know it was possible to waste that much time on one specific thing.
Once my freakout of Winchester proportions was over, I fell into a deep depression, realizing that my whole, entire being was tied to the bright pixels of my laptop. I wanted to be more than a technology zombie. I have been placed in a gigantic, magnificent, scary, beautiful, fascinating, incredible, wonderful, and all around fantastic world, filled with equally describe-able human beings. I began to cry, once I realized a few different things:
I am 18 years old. EIGHTEEN *whispers* almostnineteendon'ttellmyparents YEARS OLD. Those are full years of my own precious that I will never get back. And I haven't really done anything with those years. Now, granted, some will argue that to love those most dear to you to the best of your ability is to live a life to the fullest, but there are those - like me - who already DO (try to) do that, but still have an itching to experience more of this wonderful planet that God has laid at our feet. There are so many places I haven't been to, so many people I haven't met, so many saints I haven't gotten to know, etc.
And this led me to do some of my favorite things: Do something about it. Which means: MAKE A LIST.
1.
Close the laptop/shut off the facebook app. The world is a grand place, and we're only hear for 85 years of its life span. Go experience it.
2.
Make a friend. Wherever you might be - college, work, church - find someone with whom you share a common interest, and talk to them about it. For me, its usually our mutual interest in Doctor Who, or the music we listen to. Let your interests grow into friendship, because friendships are awesome. People are awesome.
3.
Find a long-term project to do. This has to be something that your interested in, and something that you know that you will not get tired of quickly. This could be something like a 50-page photography series; training for a marathon, setting a decent word count for a fantasy story (and actually writing it), etc. Basically, make your hobby a project.
4.
Finding a short-term project to do - with friends. Such projects include: Photoshoots, baking cookies, going for a walk in the park, making a scrapbook, accomplish all
474 things to do when you're bored.
5.
Travel. GUYS. THE WORLD IS AMAZING. I'VE SAID IT BEFORE, AND I'LL PROBABLY SAY IT AGAIN. As St. Augustine says...
We all go on pintrest and tumblr...right? Heck, we all go on facebook. All of these websites are chock full of pictures that we pin and reblog and share of stunning places that we want to go to. Pick one of your favorite pictures, investigate that place and start saving to go there. Google search places of interest near your house, and visit them.
6. Learn an instrument. Or at least try to.
7. Read a book. One of those books that's been sitting on your shelf forever. The one that you keep telling yourself that you're going to read one day. Ultimately, you'll be happier that you spent your time that way. Its like having a movie in your head. At the very least you can brag to people that you read it.
8. Get a pen pal. In theory, the reason you're on Facebook in the first place is to keep in touch with your friends. (Although we all know that your wall is about 75% memes by now.) So, why not keep in touch with them the old fashioned way? It's a lot more pleasing to get a letter in the mail than a post on your Facebook wall, so why not make yourself a bit happier, along with making the day of one of your friends? Plus! What's better than getting tea/candy/bookmarks/stickers from all over the country?
9.
Start a devotional of some sort. Let's be honest, this is probably one of the best possible uses of your time. They say that the only true tragedy in life is failing to be a Saint, so why not get yourself on your way? You can start simple. Try reading a chapter of the Bible each day, or perhaps saying a Divine Mercy chaplet. I personally recommend a daily
rosary. Whatever you chose to do, know that very few things life can make you as happy for as long as a daily devotional can.
10. Since we will obviously not go off of facebook, find a way to be productive on it. Start a blog and spread it around on facebook.... *cough* Copy inspirational quotes and put them on pictures. Brownie points if you create a page for saint quotes.
Hopefully, as with all my lists, this will help both of us - you AND me - to live in the best way possible. The way God intended us all to live.
