Lenten Plans

I’ve decided that, for the Lenten season this year, I will try to do something positive instead of giving up something slightly negative. In addition to my being a good little Lutheran, it has the added advantage of not forcing me to give up something that I like :oP.

I usually take the cheap route of giving up caffeine (i.e. Mountain Dew), or candy, or something that’s not actually a sacrifice. More to the point, I start up again as soon as Lent is over, thereby avoiding the point of the whole exercise and basically gaming the system.

The one time I made a real sacrifice (for me at least) was when I gave up computer games freshman year. It was the hardest thing I’d done (or rather, not done) Lent-wise, and it made for 5 very long weeks. I will say that it definitely revealed how much of my free time I use up in front of a screen.

At any rate, I’ve decided to eat a lot of fruit. Multiple fruits per day, even multiple fruits per meal. It’ll be healthy, and hopefully it’ll get me into a good habit that will last after Lent ends. Fruit-eating doesn’t carry a lot of penalties, as opposed to not having caffeine, so I figure that I’m more likely to continue this after Lent ends, which is a Good Thing™.

Wish me luck!

A Brief Disclaimer” from Carmen Sandiego – Out Of This World by Greg Lee


Comments

6 responses to “Lenten Plans”

  1. *wishes you luck*

  2. Instead of snacking on junk food, steal fruit from Sharples and eat it when you’d normally snack. You’ll eat more fruit and less junk.

    Good luck. I’ve had very good luck with Sharples oranges for the last two weeks or so.

  3. Mmmm, fruit. I actually ended up doing that as a result of Lent last year- I went the route of giving up candy, and ended up eating lots and lots of apples to satisfy my sweet tooth.

  4. This is my first year actually being aware, ahead of time, when Lent was and what one did during Lent (not all of which have coincided my other years here, after being introduced to it freshman year with Sarah & An) — so I’m going the very traditional route and giving something up.

    But also, the pastor at my church read Bible selections that talked about giving to the poor and fighting injustice and stuff. So I sort of want to do something positive, in addition to giving something up, but more along the community service lines. I haven’t had any brilliant ideas yet, though.

  5. Not a bad idea, although it’s a little weird to encourage someone to take up thievery for Lent. :^)

  6. I’m being traditional and giving up meat, since that actually is a major sacrifice for me. I’m not going vegan, though, because truly going vegan is a major pain in the ass in terms of checking food for animal content, and I think I’d go absolutely insane without eggs or milk.

    Even food with meat stock in it is okay, because, honestly, one day without sinking teeth into actual honest-to-goodness animal flesh has been excruciating. Hopefully I won’t overcompensate by binging on starchy snacks too much (gaining weight for Lent, woohoo)…

    And, of course, the point of this is so that I’ll appreciate eating meat all the more after Easter, and by extension gain an appreciation for the power of life being sacrificed for other life, and by extension from that gain a deeper understanding of Good Friday.

    Or something nice and high-minded-sounding on those lines.

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