Forty Days and Forty Nights

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Happy Ash Wednesday, y’all!

The majority of my religious education — I mean, the techincal ins and outs of Methodism and Christianity and all of that — came from college.  While my family attended an awesome Methodist church in California, regularly attending church was not something to which my family aspired in Indiana.  I’d always believed in God and occasionally made every effort to read the Bible cover to cover, but I never knew much about actual religion.  That probably explains why I was all, “What?  Methodists give up stuff for Lent, too?  I thought only Catholics did that.”

Nope, not just Catholic people.

My first two years of college, I gave up caffeine.  My third year of college, I may have added daily prayer to my extensive to do list, since prayer became more irregular in my life.  My fourth year of college, I did nothing.  I couldn’t think of anything good to give up or to add, so I just didn’t do anything.  That’s a total cop out, and I will admit that.  I imagine I could have given up a good many things — for example, making out with my ex-boyfriend, with whom I did not want to get back together but couldn’t think of anything better to do with my time.  (I am nothing if not honest.  That should have been the first to go.)

Anyway, I don’t think it would be in my office’s best interest for me to give up caffeine.  On days like today, when I am the only counselor in the office, it helps me get through the day.  It also keeps me warm, as my office is often the same temperature as a refrigerator.  My burgeoning addiction to caffeine made me consider my other bad habits — not going to bed on time, waking up late, leaving my pants where I take them off, etc.  (I really wish I were kidding about the last one, but I do that all the time.  My bedroom floor is currently littered with pairs of pants.)  In an effort to make myself a little better and a little more like the Allie I think Jesus wants me to be, I’m not really going to say I’m giving up all the bad things I do; I’m just going to work on not doing them as much.

Here’s to forty days and forty nights of self-improvement.

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