Other than the sound of griddles firing up all over the place and the smell of maple syrup wafting in the air? It means that tomorrow is Ash Wednesday or the first day of Lent. Now, I was not raised to follow any particular religion, although we did participate in Shrove (Pancake) Tuesday (because, well, PANCAKES!), Easter, Christmas and Halloween, so I was not raised devoid of any religion. We just celebrated what we wanted and ignored what we didn’t want and went along our merry way.
As an adult, I learned about Lent and I was intrigued. And despite my best intentions, every year it caught me unawares and by the time I figured out it was happening, it was over. And every year I said “next year, I’m totally doing this Lent thing.” But this year, yes this year, I’m on it, I’m all over it and knowing that Lent BEGINS tomorrow, as opposed to ENDS tomorrow, means that I am able to decide and commit to participating this year. And, true to my upbringing, my participation is less about religion and more about self-awareness, discovering universal truths, practicing gratitude and positivity (and why, I wonder, does spell check want to change positivity to pomposity? #insulted #spellcheck-is-an-asshole )
So, I will spend the rest of the day deciding what I will give up for the next 40 days, in the name of Lent. Rest assured though, it will not be sex, talking, blogging, insanity or humour. Everything else though is on the chopping block. I’m leaning towards giving up a food group or two, because I’m not giving up my bed or hot water in my showers. I’m all about the baby steps, people. I may be a zealot about a lot of things, but total self-deprivation ain’t one of ’em.
What about you? Have you, do you, will you be participating in Lent (or some similar ritual) this year? What will you or would you give up? What do you think I should consider giving up for the next 40 days (and remember, this Chiquita banana will not even entertain anything that involves vows of silence or cold showers, so don’t even go there 😉 )
I think most people think of themselves as “failures” when it comes to Lent. They choose to give up something rather than being giving of themselves. I usually pick some sort of charity to concentrate on and goal to work towards, or daily acts of random kindness – something which leaves the world, and subsequently you, a better place 🙂 You can always get a do-over too. Nobody said it was an “all or nothing” sort of thing. Just get back on that Lenten horse and try again!