Lent 2010

I’m not a great Catholic. I try, but it’s hard.

Especially all this no-meat, fasting business. I have a hard time personally drawing that line between what Christ preached in the gospels about sacrifice and service, and having clam chowder every Friday for six weeks. (I’m being glib, I know.)

This year, though, I’m giving something up. Dessert and sweets.

(Note to self: Do NOT look up “chocolate” in Google Images again until Lent is OVER.)

Because it’s my road to travel, I’m defining it pretty tightly as anything that would commonly be considered a “dessert” or a “sweet.” So no more chocolate pudding with my lunch, or vending machine candy bars in the late afternoon when I get a craving, or evening runs to Baskin Robbins for a two-scoop dish of Rocky Road and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

(Man, that’s a pretty decadent life I lead, isn’t it?)

I will however still have sugar in my coffee, and a little sugar on my cereal in the mornings. I’m not crazy. The jury is out on donuts for breakfast; deep down I know they probably count as “sweets” but every Friday morning we have a freaking BUFFET of donuts, bagels, pastries, and fruit. I don’t know if I can be that strong in the face of such temptation.

We’ll see how this goes. Chocolate especially is a big release for me, in terms of personal tension and anxiety. If I go without too long, I seriously get irritable. Sad but true. This means I’m going to be hell to live with for the next six weeks. But hopefully, I’ll lose a few pounds, and get a bit more prayerful, and be able to continue the streak after Lent so I can live a bit more healthy.

That, or the avalanche of chocolate bunnies on Easter will push me back into my ugly old lifestyle.

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