sweets

I wasn't raised with Lent being a big deal. I don't recall even hearing about people giving things up for Lent until I went to college. My current church observes Lent, but there is certainly not an emphasis on giving things up.

I went for a walk with my friend T the other day. She is Catholic and has given up sweets some years and has done other things to focus more on her spirituality some years during Lent. This year, now that she has a baby and is trying to be healthy for herself and for her baby girl, she is giving up sweets for Lent again. We talked about it as we walked, and then went to get a cupcake and a latte, since it was only 2 days until Ash Wednesday. It was our Lundi Gras. :)

It really got me thinking. I think there is a lot to be said for fasting in some way or another in observance of Lent, or any other time you want. I have never really fasted before, and I don't plan on actually fasting from all food. But I think it will do me good to fast from something that is hard for me to give up, and that is sweets. By this I mean chocolate, cookies, ice cream, doughnuts, and cake. (Other sweets I rarely eat anyway.) It's not that I eat huge quantities of these everyday, but I definitely have chocolate everyday. And at work sometimes it's tempting to buy a big cookie from the cafeteria after lunch. Often there is food out on the patient units that other staff or parents of patients have brought in, and a lot of times these are cupcakes, cookies, doughnuts etc... I have this feeling after eating lunch and dinner that I have to have something sweet, even though I always have fruit. It's like I need something sugary. That's probably not the healthiest for me. I have been blessed with teeth that are not prone to cavities, so that is not really a motivator. I have also been blessed with a high metabolism thus far in my life, so losing weight is not really a motivator either. But I know it can't be good to be eating as much sugar as I do.

I decided this would be a great exercise of willpower for me. It also helps to have a friend with whom to be accountable. Of course, it should also make me more mindful of the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness before he started his ministry, remind me of the suffering of Jesus, and I hope to pay more attention to my spiritual life.

I realize in the big scheme of things, sweets are not a big deal. But I realize that it's an unnecessary privilege to be able to eat empty calories. I have an abundance of nutritious (and non-nutritious) foods available to me. My thoughts about privilege in general have been provoked many times in the last year. It certainly doesn't hurt me to give up a relatively small one.

Wish me strength! :)