See You Later......

It is here.....

Ash Wednesday that is.

I have given a lot of thought to the next 40 days.  

Last year I decided to skip the denial process and focus on something that I hoped might improve my spiritual life....daily Mass.

Actually, there was a bit of denial in that decision because it meant getting up much earlier than I like to.  Since retirement sleep has actually been one of my most treasured commodities.

So...I added an extra few days of worship to my agenda and it was really one of the best decisions I have ever made.

This year was a bit of a quandary, wanting to focus on some positive things  but knowing denial is also part of the season.

I decided that until Easter Sunday there will be no more....

Candy of any kind.....

Diet Coke.....

And Social Media for only 5 minutes each night.

Big sacrifice, huh?  

Yes, it will be.  I read everyone's Facebook posts on an hourly basis.  

And, as I read earlier in the week, it is harder for an alcoholic to take one drink and stop than to deny oneself entirely. That being said I am allowing myself that precious 5 minutes each night, carefully timed.  We will see how fast I can get through everyones news.

I am an addict...a social media addict.  This will be tough.  I am leaving the apps on my phone. Having them right in front of me everyday and not being able to check them at every stop light on the road will kill me!  It will be like a sealed bottle of Vodka in front of an alcoholic.  As for the candy and Diet Coke, yes, that will be tough to. It is an addiction also.

 In all of my reading about the season of Lent I discovered it was all about attitude.  If you are going to sacrifice and complain about it everyday then you have lost the whole meaning.  It is not just about what you are doing but why you are doing it.  Like Christmas....Jesus is the reason for the season.  We are sacrificing as He sacrificed for us. 

I am going to replace Facebook with a book with some redeeming value.  I hope to replace candy and coke with healthier choices (not cake and Dr. Pepper)!

Lent should be a time to refocus our lives.  We are not making a New Years resolution that we pretty much know we will forget by March.  We can attack something we can actually accomplish...and maybe grow in the process.