40 DAYS, 40 NIGHTS

So, my friends, Lent is here again. Due to Valentine’s Day, I completely forgot that yesterday was also Ash Wednesday/the beginning of Lent so I did not get ashes on my forehead, I ate meat – a lot of meat – and I didn’t come up with what I am going to give up for the next 40 days.

I am not the type of person that takes Lent too seriously (sorry mom, sorry God), but I do think it is good to challenge oneself to make a change, even if it is only for 40 days.

I grew up going to a private Catholic school and attended mass every week, sometimes twice a week, and I would participate in the expected Lent activities by eating cheese pizza every Friday and giving up something I would never miss, like Tapioca pudding, working out, or brushing my teeth. Now, as an adult on my own, I do not have my parents enforcing any of these rules and I am left to decide what I want to give up. And the options were endless:

- Red Wine

- Red Meat

- Red Robbin

- Helping my parents with technology

While the latter is extremely enticing, I know that no matter how many times I tell me parents that I refuse to help them with anything regarding technology, they will still call me every day asking “How do I Facebook you?” or “What shows are currently on Netflix?” So this year, I decided that I don’t want to give up anything, but instead try to do something that would have more of an impact on my daily life and those close to me. Plus, I ain’t giving up red wine for 40 days.

Here is a list of the (few) things I am going to try to do for the next 40 days, and hopefully (maybe…) for a lot longer.

1. Run Walk at least three miles every day

2. Write something every day, even if it’s just for me

3. Begin to restore old friendships that may have gone off course due to schedules, location, and The Bachelor

4. Put my clothes away each night instead of throwing them in a pile in the living room until I can’t see the couch anymore

5. Lastly, be more patient with others

I think that the last one is the most important for the next 40 days. If you have ever gone to a restaurant or an outlet mall with me, you would know that I am not the most patient with others, especially when I ordered a side of ranch 5 minutes ago and now my cheese fries are getting cold. I want to take this Lenten period to really work on being a calmer, less anxious and snappy person with Joe, my friends, and the salesperson at the J.Crew Factory.

I just don’t know how patient I can be with my parents when they email me asking why their Amazon Alexandra doesn’t answer them anymore.