Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Lent: the test of will.

I'm not terribly religious, but almost every year I use Lent as an excuse to impose discipline into my life. An excuse to do the things that I think I should be doing all the time, but don't because I'm too distracted by the world.

So this Lent I have a 3-part program:

1- Virtuous Diet. I'm giving up sugar, salt and dairy. Why? Because when I did this before my surgery, I felt great. And it's truly a test of wills. I caused quite the stir at Starbucks this morning when I didn't order my usual Chai tea.

2- Virtuous Work Ethic. The extra money I save from not drinking my Chai in the morning is going to be used to start my Sudanese Portrait Project. That way I can pay the people that sit for me. I also pledge to do some kind of creative work every week. That's five weeks of producing something... I'm hoping for big, but I would be satisfied with anything.

3- Altruism. I will volunteer at least once, but as often as I can. I really want to start giving more back to the community. I receive help from so many people, and I want to be sure that my energy goes back to people that need even more than I do.

So that's the plan. I won't kill myself if I have to take a few passes, but it's only 40 days. I can do it and I really think that it will benefit me. I'd love to be feeling good about myself, inside and out, by Easter Sunday.

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