I've decided to give something up for Lent. I'm not sure why, I never have before, and I don't even really know what Lent is.
Actually, I've been intrigued by a book I heard about called Give It Up! : My Year of Learning to Live Better with Less. I didn't read it or anything, but apparently some woman gave up something for a month, a different thing each month, and in the process she learned things or appreciated things or something. And I think maybe I should do that because, I really don't appreciate any of this crap. :)
Okay, here's a quote from the Amazon page.
Like most people, Mary Carlomagno was stressed out, overscheduled, and tripping over the clutter of her days -- until she decided to take control and simplify her life. Each month she renounced one thing: alcohol, shopping, elevators, newspapers, cell phones, dining out, television, taxis, coffee, cursing, chocolate, and multitasking. During the course of the year, Mary took stock of her life, discovered what was really important, and gained a deeper appreciation for the world around her.
From the stuff she gave up, the only one I'd really have trouble with would be for television.
But, I guess this would be my list.
Television.
Fast food and ice cream. (except I gave that up 10 days ago)
Blogging.
WebSurfing.
Movies and restaurants.
Diet soda.
Making jokes.
Hmm. Before I started writing the list, I thought I'd probably end up giving up television this month, but I'm curious now, what would happen if I stopped making jokes about everything. That's very interesting. I'm not sure I'm capable of it. I even made a joke a second ago about not appreciating any of this crap. I appreciate many things. Maybe, I could use a personality makeover, I'm not entirely happy with the current state of affairs.
Okay, that's what I'll do. I won't make any jokes about things for the whole month of March. I'll say what I really feel.
Rock on.
Keith.
3 comments:
Keith, I read your post right before I headed out at lunch. So I had a while to think about how to answer your question - what really is Lent all about?
My first inclination was to look up the official definition. But every place I looked gave it in "Christian lingo". In other words, not how I'd go about describing it to someone who doesn't throw around words like sacrament, and veneration of the cross and all that.
So here's what it is. It's a time of extra thinking. Extra thinking about how one perfect human being who never did anything wrong in his entire life and had no reason to ever ask forgiveness from anyone for any reason, stood up and said he'd take my place in the courtroom.
You know how with running, you tend to run more parts of the year like getting ready for a half marathon, and then you slack off a while? Well, for better or for worse that's what a lot of people do where religion is concerned too. We may think a lot about it at Christmas time, or actually nearer to Easter. But the 46 days (including Sundays; most people call it 40 days) really are an opportunity to think about what Jesus did for me and for you.
It's not just for Catholics; several Protestant churches also observe Lent.
Giving up jokes? Tough. Very tough. If I had to give up jokes and sarcasm, I think my entire personality would change.
I can't even explain how I ended up on your blog page...Harra, I think, is to blame. Anyway, I like this idea of giving up something each month. How's it going so far sans wit? I'm a smartass myself, so I don't think I could do it. AND a t.v. junkie. If you're bored (without all that tube-watching)find me on yahoo 360 as iraksllew. ciao -- and happy running! Kari
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