Give it up

When I was young I really didn't understand why we had to give things up for Lent. It just seemed unfair to have to deny myself something I really enjoyed. For over a month, no less! And in the end my reward for my self-restraint was a chocolate bunny and one of those great chocolate eggs with your name written on it. All hollow. I don't know what it is, but I looooove hollow chocolate.

But now I'm older, and wiser(?) I don't consider myself a die-hard Catholic, but I do take comfort in believing that there is a greater being somewhere out there taking care of us and throwing us some curve-balls just to keep life hopping. It's nice to think that everything falls into a bigger plan. There's a reason I've been given all that I've been given, the good and the bad. And it's just as nice to give something back...'cuz really you benefit yourself as well when you give. Or I guess what you give during Lent is more of what you give up.

When my dad decided to quit smoking years and years ago his little stop-smoking packet came with a sheet for him to fill out. He had to write down the top 3 reasons why he was giving up smoking. On that hokey Stuart Smalley type sheet he jotted down:
1. my kids
2. my wife
3. my health

Sure, it was cheesy, but it meant a lot to me. He had tried so many times before to quit smoking, but he always fell back into it. This was the time it finally worked out for him, though. I'll never know if it had anything to do with that list of reasons that was stuck to our fridge, but it's nice to think it did. His actions benefitted us all. He is now at much lower risk for lung cancer and all those horrible smoking-related diseases, which means he'll be here with us longer. He'll get to walk me down the aisle (potentially), see his grandkids (hopefully I'll give him a few), and all that beautiful stuffs. I've never been tempted to smoke, and I don't think I ever will. Same goes for my brother and sister. It's been almost 10 years now. I don't think he'll ever go back to smoking.

Anyway, I'm getting all choked with pride over my dad. I guess I should get to what I really wanted to say.

I'm always up for a challenge and needless to say it's very challenging giving up something you like for 40 days. That isn't to say I won't take up my old habits again after Easter, but I will be a better person for giving it up even for a short little while. My Lenten sacrifice is not as life-altering as my dad's (which, ironically, didn't happen during Lent) but it will still do me good. Here's what I'm giving up:
1. pop, or soda as Americans call it
2. french fries (I just couldn't give up the entire fast food combo entirely, hence why I'm just giving up pop and fries and not the whole meal) and
3. hangtime with Rocky

That ought to be enough of a test for me. Here goes...