Lenten Time

Yesterday marked the beginning of Lent, Ash Wednesday. Seeing as I am half Catholic half Jew, I loosely observe this Lenten period. In the past I would have dismissed this time, as it did not pertain to me. However, since I have been home, I have chosen to expand my spiritual horizon, which has brought forth a new curiosity for both my parents’ religious practices. So when my father walked in the door with an ash cross on his forehead, I had to know more…

After talking to my dad, I learned the Church has adjusted previous rules for observing Lent. These rules have transformed more so into loose guidelines; this appealed to me.

Instead of focusing on what you are giving up, the Church is asking you to focus on your own personal Lenten journey. In the little black book for Lent, it states:

“We can look upon Lent as a journey…Journeys have their ups and downs. We don’t really expect them to go smoothly. If we are going to drive across the country, we expect a few car problems, some bad weather, some detours, some missed connections and so forth. We prepare for those things and we deal with them as they come up…deal with the journey of Lent the way we deal with every other long and sometimes difficult journey.”

I have decided that this perspective complements my modern lifestyle. Lent is a perfect challenge in my personal journey for enlightenment and could not have come at a better time.

I wouldn’t say I have completely fallen back into my mindless eating routines of the past year, but since my month long cleanse ended February 2^nd I haven’t been as conscious about what I am feeding myself. If I have learned anything from cleansing, it is that everyone deserves to indulge every now and then. However, my love for dark chocolate and lack of self-control negates “every now and then.”

SO, for the next 40 days I have decided to let go of refined sugars (once again). It is something I love dearly, but definitely could use less of. And with MY loose guidelines this will still allow me an evening cocktail if I desire…I mean, hey, we are young!!!

 ...so long for now...