Last week, ACT:S challenged us to sacrifice our surroundings in order to create a living space that is more conducive to serving. The problem is, I'm currently in the middle of a rather transitory state: moving our of my dorm room at the UW, momentary relocation to my house in Marsyville, packing for my time in London... Because I do not have a permanent dwelling at the moment, I had to modify the challenge for my situation.
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Not only do these changes reduce procrastination, they also change my laptop into a space that reminds me to use my time wisely. To use my resources in order to help others, to learn, to encourage and to serve. To pray for Malawi and Cambodia and the rest of the world around me.
Little sacrifices and physical changes--just the few seconds extra to type in a webpage or open Finder--can change patterns of thought and habits for the better.
This week, our challenge is to sacrifice our consumption: the food we eat and the information we take in.
Today, I am only eating foods that I would be able to eat if I was back in the villages of Malawi or Cambodia. Rice, beans, eggs, bread, a few types of fruits and veggies. And I'm only going to drink water or loose tea, which is in itself an absolute blessing... to have constant access to clean, potable water.
We're surrounded by an abundance of food. I can have something different for breakfast everyday. Consume ridiculous amounts of produce. Choose to abstain from eating meat, instead of going without this protein source by default... because it's unavailable or unaffordable. I am a complete food snob. And most of the time I don't think twice about it.
I've been hungry a lot today. Hungry at my mid-morning snack time. Hungry at my afternoon tea time. Hungry now, as I write... even though I just ate my small dinner of left over beans and rice an hour ago.
I eat a lot.
This exercise made me more aware of other excesses and abundance in my daily life. Hot shower. Drinking fountain. Elevator. iPod. Heat. Gym. Access to food. Even though I was only eating certain foods today, I still didn't have to cook or make a fire or heat water or farm. I just walked over to the dining hall.
Here are a few of today's thoughts on how to make a change in food habits and thoughts:
- Don't be so picky. Accept food graciously, and with thankfulness. Don't waste food.
- Don't gorge. Smaller portions. Eat what you need.
- Be giving with food. Donate, share, buy food for others
- Donate to 30 Hour Famine (done!): my old youth group always participates in this event. They're raising money right now. Here's a link to their donation page and more information: Team World Vision - Marysville Free Methodist Church
- Resume carrying around granola bars/fruit for the homeless
- Try to buy fair trade whenever possible
The other aspect of this week's challenge was about information. I already try to keep up on what's going on in the world around me... reading and listening to the news regularly, despite my personal issues with the media.
But I know that I spend too much of the day consuming less valuable information on tumblr, twitter, facebook, and youtube, so I came up with a few more actions, with respect to information.
- Unfollow extraneous tumblrs, youtube channels, twitter accounts, etc.
- Read at least one news story a day, and pray for the people or situation in the report
- Set time limits on mindless internet surfing
- Mindless tumblr scrolling? 1.) Press Command+Q 2.) Shut laptop 3.) a. Go talk to people or b. Read a book
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