Thursday, April 3, 2014

Forty Days.

This year I gave up three things for Lent.


Despite being raised half Jewish/half Christian (Presbyterian and Methodist if we're going to split hairs), I decided to join in on the Lenten tradition. As if forgoing delicious milk chocolate in all its glorious varieties wasn't enough, I also let go of soda and fried food too. Yes, glistening golden deep fried food. So I can't even enjoy a little Friday fish fry action.

1.

2.

3. 

This is getting painful...

Several weeks ago on that Fat Tuesday evening (as I bit into a delicious, greasy burger piled high with fried onion strings and sipped on a chocolaty milkshake from Burgatory) I thought, "this will be great!" I will cut back on refined sugars and useless saturated fats and empty carbs for 40 days. Then, upon the 40th day, I won't even desire chocolate, fried food and soda ever again. Right? 

Wrong. I've outsmarted myself, and now I've discovered loop holes for not-so-healthy substitutes.
1. Instead of soda -- beer.
2. Instead of chocolate -- vanilla.
  
3. Instead of fried food -- baked EVERYTHING.  
 

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FAIL.

Okay, so I'm slightly exaggerating about bingeing on beer and baked goods, but giving up my three favorite types of food has been interesting to say the least. It has raised a new level of consciousness when walking down the aisles of the grocery store. I've ordered more water at restaurants than ever before. And it might surprise you how half the menu of any restaurant disappears when you eliminate deep fried foods altogether.

I can relate this forty day stretch to running a marathon. Like any long term commitment, the challenge comes in making smalls decisions each step of the way -- choosing the "next right thing." Like the cool dude on the Segway in the video above puts it:
"There is always sometime during lent that you think about -- you wish you didn't give it up, but when you get to the end you always feel good about it." 
So I shall continue to push forward chocolate-less and somewhat moody. But on the 40th day, I will look back and feel proud that I could do what I once thought was impossible. That may seem minuscule, but I don't think I have ever gone without chocolate (or the other two) for more than a few days in 28 years. So I will leave you with this quote: “There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in something, you do it only when it’s convenient. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses; only results.”

Have a great day! And if you see me near chocolate, fried food or soda, tell me to BE STRONG. I could use the moral support. 

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