Lent- Again

As some of you may remember, last year I chose to give up meat for lent. Part of my decision to do this was to learn how to decrease the amount of meat in my diet. Though it seemed like an uphill battle at first, I did eventually learn how to live without gorging on meat every 5 hours.

The other day, my friend asked me what I plan to give up this year, to which I replied, nothing. I told her, there is nothing in my diet I wish to eliminate or change and so, I don't feel the need to practice lent. Why would I cut something out of my diet unless it was something I would continue to practice after lent? I wouldn't have the motivation to keep with the fast if it wasn't an actual goal.

A few days later, she informed me that lent is not only about what we give up, its about what we can add as well. Lent is meant to be a challenge because you are changing your life for the better, breaking bad habits, and forming better ones.

While I do not need to omit anything from my diet my friend reminded me that I do need to add something, something quite essential, water. Personally, I hate water. I figure what's the point? It doesn't taste like anything! During the course of the day, I may drink one glass of water tops, as the rest of my hydration comes from vegetables. Needless to say, I am constantly dehydrated which becomes more and more apparent when I attempt physical activities. With this said, I promised my friend that for lent, I would drink 5 liters of water a week which is 5 times more than I usually drink.

My dedication to lent has nothing to do with my faith or commitment to God but rather, my commitment to my own self improvement. Regardless of your religion, I feel its an important practice to challenge yourself by abstaining or in my case, introducing healthier habits. If you've fallen off the wagon on your New Years Resolution, here's a chance to hop back on it. Below are some ideas of things you can add to your routine for Lent:

- meditation, 5 minutes a day
- exercise, half hour a day while you watch tv
- correspondence, pick one day a week to get back to those people you've lost touch with
- class, take up a once a week class based around your hobby
- writing, journal everyday or once a week your feelings
- reading, read everyday for a half hour