I must confess that it wasn’t until Ash Wednesday before I started really thinking about the spiritual discipline of sacrificing something for Lent this year. A couple things came to mind (ice cream?), but nothing seemed to lead me anywhere. It was the next day when it finally hit me: my headphones.

This may not seem like much of a sacrifice, but it’s one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to do. I often have my headphones in when I run and I almost always am wearing them when I take our dog for a walk. It’s nice to listen to music and podcasts, but I acknowledge that I often feel a bit disconnected from the world when I’m wearing them. I smile pleasantly at fellow dog walkers or runners, but my attention is really on “This American Life” or “The Tony Kornheiser Show.”

Unplugging has forced me to engage with the world and with its Creator. Running by the lake has taken on new beauty. Walking the dog has opened my ears to new conversations (with other people, with birds, with God). It’s still so very tempting to plug back in, especially when my dog dawdles. But the psalmist (as the psalmist often does) has better words for me: “Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.” (Psalm 85:8)