Nothing Left To Give (Up)

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Another year, another Fat Tuesday is upon us. I'm sure there are plenty of folks frantically indulging in the very things they plan to give up for the next six weeks. Just this past weekend, I was racking my brain trying to decide what it was that I'd "sacrifice" this year during Lent. 

Normally, it's soda, deep fried food, and store bought desserts. But after 21 months of cleaning up my diet and getting healthy, I don't over-indulge in those things anymore. I even considered giving up alcohol, but I only drink once every two weeks or so now-a-days.

Hmmm.... Fast forward to Mardi Gras, and I've still got no clue what I'm going to do! I even thought, "Oh, I love tater tots. Maybe I'll run to the store and grab some so I can eat them for dinner tonight." But you know what? I don't want to. What's the point of stuffing my face when I know I'm just going to have to work THAT much harder to get my body to work it off?
"But you're not Catholic, why do you participate in Lent?" That's a question I get asked several times leading up to Lent. Part of the reason I do this each year is because it was instilled in me by my Grandmother (also not Catholic). She and the rest of my family are the reason why Easter always was (and still is) my favorite holiday.

But if we're being honest, the reason I have stuck with Lent so long is because of a bet that Joy and I made YEARS ago (when we were in middle school) to see who could give up meat the longest. [I won, but who's counting... ;) ] Except we'd start on January first and go all the way until Easter. The point is, Lent, in one form or another, is just tradition. I do it every year because I enjoy the challenge.

Back to my frantically trying to eat everything in sight before Ash Wednesday...

I woke up this morning and realized I don't have anything to give up. I no longer drink soda. I only eat fried food occasionally, and I eat indulgent desserts even more infrequently. I workout five days a week, so there isn't room to add more exercise to the schedule. Fasting (for real) is out of the question with my workout schedule. WHAT'S A GIRL TO DO???

While Lent is a tradition, I don't have to keep reliving the same bad habits. So instead of eating myself sick tonight, I'm going to be channeling my energy into more positive things for the next 40 days (plus Sundays). 

I've decided to make myself have some quiet, reflection time each day. Whether it's spending time reading my Bible or just working on my relationship with God, or even meditation... I want to MAKE time each day to be alone. I'm already doing a lot for my physical appearance and now is the time to work on my internal/mental self.

Traditions can evolve without losing their original meaning. So here's to learning even more about myself over the next six weeks!