Christmas is over, and February is upon us. For all my fellow Catholics you know what is next. Our all-time favorite, jumping around just thinking about it, drumroll please... LENT! Forty days of sacrifice and attention to actions and behaviors we need to change, do more of, or our favorite: give up.
The Acceptance Period
This period of accepting the fact Lent is almost here normally takes a few days (if not weeks) in advance. The preparation of thinking about what we are going to give up takes awhile because we don't want to be the cliche "Oh, I'm giving up sweets for Lent" person, but at the same time you eat more candy than trick-or-treaters on Halloween. So, you reflect and finally come up with what you are going to do.
The Binge Period
This is after you have thought of what you are giving up. If it's food, you only eat that for a week straight before Lent starts. If it's Netflix, you watch a season a day during the countdown. If it's swearing, you're going to sound like a drunken sailor up until those ashes so carefully swipe left and right on your forehead (if you just thought of Tinder when I was referring to the sign of the cross then you know exactly what you're giving up for Lent). But regardless of what it is, you must go on a binge with whatever it is because, as we all know, forty days is about to hit us hard.
Mardi Gras
I hope everyone who is reading this knows what a paczki and King's Cake is, because those two delicacies are the reason why Mardi Gras is so great. Purple and gold beads are dangling from your neck, and you are sure to put the "fat" in "Fat Tuesday" with all the calories you're about to consume.
Ash Wednesday
A.k.a when the priest supposedly puts a cross on your forehead but it comes out looking like a mix between a circle, snowman, "Z" shaped, crooked cross. It's okay though, because you get to keep it on for the rest of the day and smile at the other cool Catholics walking around with ashes on their forehead. It's a sense of unity and, side note to all the single men and women out there, it's a perfect time to start scoping out that perfect Catholic hubby or wife.
From Ash Wednesday on, it's a slow and painful process of realizing how dependent you are of that thing you gave up. There are ups and downs, temptations, and times when you might cheat the system a little. But just remember it's only forty days out of the whole year. Big G is always watching you, so if you think you're being sneaky by taking a piece of chocolate and pretending to cough while putting it in your mouth then just know... that was pretty sneaky actually, I'm going to have to try that sometime...
But in all honesty, do your best. And if these forty days require you to bare a few extra crosses, then just remember the cross Jesus bared for us, and it won't be as bad.
Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor.
