Okay, I'm not Catholic. I'm not even Christian, but something about Lent just appeals to me. A few years ago I started joining in the tradition of giving something up for the forty-plus days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. At least, I think that's how it works. It's kind of confusing, and I've read differing accounts of exactly which days constitute Lent.
But I'm pretty sure it starts today. So today I started giving up . . . my snooze alarm! Yes, I use my snooze alarm way too much. Lately I've been hitting it as many as five times before I actually get up. (And my snooze alarm gives an extra nine minutes every time it's hit.) I've never been late to work because of it, but my mornings are always rushed and unpleasant. So between now and Easter, I'm not going to use it at all. I'm going to get up when the alarm goes off the first time!
Does anyone else observe Lent? What are you giving up this year?
Does anyone have a coherent explanation of what days actually count as "Lent"?
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, but not including Sundays. (All Sundays are "little Easters")
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
I don't observe it officially but it's a nice way of seeing if I can manage to abstain from something for a set period of time LOL.
So in that vein, and tying into the diet attempts (I'm stuck at 19 pounds and it's driving me crazy) I'm going to try and stay away from soda and chocolate entirely. We'll see how long those last.
Oh, and I get my regular caffeine fix from tea anyway, Coke is more of a laziness issue.
Posted by School4ever (Member # 5575) on :
I'm not Catholic either, but I have decided to give up junk food, especially chocolate. I eat way too much. I want to see if I can go without it for 40 days.
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
Oh my gosh. I'm not Catholic either, but that sure seems like a good goal. I wonder if I could pull it off? *doubts self*
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
I've vowed to give up Christianity for Lent this year.
Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
I usually give up junk food too, but I'm not off to a good start today.
Posted by Uhleeuh (Member # 6803) on :
I'm Catholic, so I feel guilty if I don't give something up. And wouldn't you know, Girl Scout cookies are coming out soon and I gave up sweets. Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
For all of those who vowed to give up Hatrack for lent...
welcome back.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Can I give up my job for lent?
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
I am giving up Tuesdays.
Posted by Mabus (Member # 6320) on :
Perhaps I should give up fasting and other asecticisms for Lent....it would be an interesting event....
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
quote:And wouldn't you know, Girl Scout cookies are coming out soon and I gave up sweets.
Don't worry, they freeze well!
They always told us to sell people on that point back in my girl scouting days. I always wondered why on earth anyone would have Girl Scout cookies left over that needed freezing. I guess now I know!
Posted by Nato (Member # 1448) on :
Annie, my family usually has a dozen boxes in out freezers somewhere. And, yes: it did start out with the Lent reason, but after a while we realized how nice it was to have Girl Scout Cookies still around in October.
Ohdear! 999!
[ February 09, 2005, 07:33 PM: Message edited by: Nato ]
Posted by Uhleeuh (Member # 6803) on :
Oh, I'll be freezing mine, alright. I'm just annoyed that they'll be there to tempt me the entire time. I bet after a week they'll be calling me by name.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
I still have girl scout cookies in the freezer from two years ago. Posted by Ben (Member # 6117) on :
just got back from Ash Wednesday service at student ministry at UGA. From here on out through Lent, their services are on Thursday nights. that struck me as odd.
Posted by dawnmaria (Member # 4142) on :
When I was younger, I always tried to give something up. That's how I got over Twinkies! Now I try to add something to my life that I find difficult. This year I am going to try to be a less judgemental person. I am also going to try to quit gossiping. I suppose this is like giving things up but not quite as easy as the Twinkies!
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
I'm doing "Ramadan-light" this year. The last few years, aside from the inevitable 1 or 2 slip ups, I've given up chocolate. It got to the point one year, I didn't have chocolate for almost half a year (that includes frostings, chocolate chips, etc).
This year, after watching a Muslim co-worker fast during Ramadan, I decided to do a light version. Only liquids during daylight, and Sundays off.
Day 1 was interesting, fine but hungry until I had some Nantucket Nectar's "Half & Half", and went on a sugar high.
-Bok
Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
quote:Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, but not including Sundays. (All Sundays are "little Easters")
See, that's what I thought. I originally thought it was "the forty days" between Ash Wednesday and Easter. Then I checked it out on a calendar and noticed that there are more than forty days between those two dates. A little further investigation revealed that Sundays are not included . . . which would have been nice to know the year I gave up caffeine. This year it won't matter because I don't use my alarm clock on Sundays anyway.
But then I read the Wikipedia article on Lent, and it complicates the issue. It implies that there are other days in that period that don't count. So now I'm just confused.
quote:Oh my gosh. I'm not Catholic either, but that sure seems like a good goal. I wonder if I could pull it off? *doubts self*
That's pretty much why I do it. It has no spiritual significance for me, but I think it's a wonderful test of self. I did it one year just to see if I could, and decided it was so good for me that now I do it every year.
Posted by School4ever (Member # 5575) on :
girl scout cookies ...mmmm.... If I had them in my freezer, they would not remain for long!
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Another option is to add something more significant to your spiritual/human life for that time period. At college, I made it my goal to make it to the evening prayer service with the Benedictines for each day of Lent.
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
Wikipedia is just saying that there are two possible ways to count the forty days in Lent -- either beginning on Ash Wednesday and not counting Sundays, or beginning on the first Sunday after Ash Wednesday and counting every day (including Sundays) up to Maundy Thursday.
Frankly, the second way sounds to me like somebody who didn't realize that Sundays didn't count making up a way to make the total come out to forty days. But it could be an ancient alternative tradition that I've never heard of.
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