I Give Up…

Today is Ash Wednesday.

If you’re a good Roman Catholic, it marks the beginning of the Lent Season.  oooohhh…Lent…

It’s time to play the Give Up Game!

I find it amusing the kinds of things that people give up:

1. things that they were gonna do anyway: give up rice and soda = diet

2. things that they have always thought was bad anyway: give up smoking and alcohol

3. things that they don’t really engage in: give up shooting cute animals

4. things that are kind of absurd: give up wearing flip-flops (Ian!) — although in LA that really might be a sacrifice…

5. things that are impossible: give up going online in class (ha!)

6. things that are mean: give up boyfriend or girlfriend (lame = 40 day free pass?)

7. OR things that are extreme: 40 day fast ala Jesus Christ or Ghandi

I sometimes just am amused at how Lent is being used for all these games.  Boyfriend’s mom explained it as giving up something that is blocking my path to Christ.  If I really think about it, I don’t even know if I am on the path to Christ.  I mean, what does it look like anyway?  A glowing brick road?

I’m gonna go to hell now for sure.

On that note, I still haven’t decided what I should give up this time around.  Boyfriend thinks I should give up being so conservative and cautious in my Point of View.  It means drinking more, cursing more, and partying more…

I kind of don’t mind. At least if it’s only for 40 days.  And besides, I give up halfway through anyway. Hahah!  If Lent is just all for fun, then I’m game.  I know that my Catholic conscience is gonna kick me in the uterus for not taking Lent seriously.  I mean, I know the story about why we celebrate Lent and the Passion of Christ…but somehow it’s hard to put it in the same context of giving up rice and soda, or even smoking or alcohol.  I think that it would make more sense if people did something affirmative, like donating time to charity, or planting a tree, or nailing themselves to a cross.  Just saying.  People do it.

So, I’ve decided that instead of giving up

soda – since i don’t drink enough to make it a sacrifice

cursing – i don’t do it often enough for people to even notice I haven’t cursed in a while

smoking – don’t do it.

drinking – not often enough to make a dent in my sainthood career

facebook, or going online or gchatting – because, really, HOW does it put me on a path to Christ by doing that?

or flip-flops, or my boyfriend or anything else in between…

I have decided that I will perform one good deed a day.

And that one time I didn’t recycle today doesn’t count.

What do you say?  Wanna join me?