Fat Tuesday or MARI GRAS as it know to the world, is the last day in which to celebrate before a long period of lent. Lent is a Catholic period of fasting, penance, and reflection on the crucifixion of Christ. It lasts for 40 days (not including Sundays) beginning on Ash Wednesday (the 21st of Feb. this year) and ending with Easter.
This year I am going for the gold if you want to put it that way. I picked out the one thing that I act as if I can’t live without, smoking. Yes I know it is a very bad habit, but I can’t seem to but the little buggers down. This will be my hardest lent to date and I even gave up sugar on year. If anyone else takes part in lent or you have your own form of it in your religion come over and post it up. Then over the next month we can help each other keep to our goals. So anyone want to join me?
I'm Catholic, too. So I also give up things for Lent.
You sure did pick a big one, Kat! In my family, we don't let Sunday be a free day. So when I was little and I gave up candy, I still didn't eat it on Sundays. You're not going to smoke on Sundays, are you? Because I don't think that will help you quit.
I'm not sure what I'm giving up this year, I'm thinking pop. It's soo bad for you, and I need to quit drinking it.
No just like in your family we never took a day off of lent. That and I think once Easter hits I still won't go back to it. It takes 23 days to break a habit. If I go back after that well, I would just be smoking to smoke. Not because I feel I need it.
Pop is a good idea. In school I had a Mormon friend who would do it with me in support. Annelise was always wonderful like that. Even though she didn't drink caffeine she loved Sprite and stopped drinking it during the time I was giving up sugar.
I think we should also think we should do a Mardi Gras celebration as well. I'm online now getting ideas.
I'll give up ice cream. and Kat...best of luck to you in your habit breaking mission. Smoking is awful for you so I applaud you for attempting to give it up. And let's just hope when you do stop, you stop forever!!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Favorite quote from 2007: Some people are like a Slinky ... not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you shove them down the stairs.
Last year I gave up calories greater than 1500. In other words, I went on a calorie-counting diet. It actually worked pretty well. I may do the same this year. I think as a family we may do candy or chocolate.
I'm going to Mass at noon tomorrow and trying to get my mom to go with me. I think Idol should be what I give up next year. There is another mass later on in the evening but at 6:30pm so I would pretty much miss the show. Ok I realize that is not good...
Thanks for reminding me that tomorrow is Ash Wednesday... The first time that I was old enough to really know what Ash Wednesday was I learned cuz I was caught off guard when someone walked up to me with the ashes on their face.... LOL My mom one year tried to brush them off of someone's face... Hey we are LDS we didn't know anything about Mardi Gras/Ash Wednesday/Lent... Oh and I think this is funny... But if you don't I'm not trying to offend its just that when you aren't raised with certain traditions they can catch you off-guard... When my sister was a Freshmen in High School (she is older than me) someone asked her what she was giving up for Lent... Well she hadn't heard of Lent before and she was like "What is Lent?" and then were like "You know Lent" and she was like "Like pocket lent? Belly button lent? What are you talking about giving something up?" and so they had to explain to her what Lent was and so they started making fun of her for not knowing what Lent was... And she was all like "Oh yeah, do you know what Fast Sunday is?" and they were like "No" and she started making fun of them and they got offended and she was like "Well don't make fun of me for not knowing something about your religion when you don't know about mine."
LoL! Yeah I remember all of that. I live in an area now where a lot of people go out of there way to make you feel like it is not ok to be anything but a main stream Christian. I had one woman once tell me that I was "making god sad". As many followers as there are in the Catholic Church, we are looked at like Satan worshipers down here. I have actually had people tell me they know what I believe in and that I don’t. Guess there is a religious sect of mind readers out there... LoL! I really don't get the idea behind forcing individual beliefs on someone or making fun of others beliefs. Catholics made that mistake centuries ago and we STILL hear about to this day. Maybe that is why I ended up spending my senior year in the group that I did. It was me, a Mormon, an Atheist (he made that choice because he is gay), a Pagan, a Baptist, and one guy who didn't know what to think. LoL! Thinking about it now there is even a religious name for that! Yes we were a different bunch but we worked out just fine together. Remembering something now: I was onced asked by another Mormon friend of mine, if I thought that her and her Catholic boyfriend could really work out. I SAID YES! I don't care what religion someone is, I would not look down on them for it. My best friend right now is Baptist and we both enjoy going to each others churches from time to time. Well she just really likes the smell of Frankincense and Myrrh.
Today at lunch I wasn't eating because we have to fast on Ash Wednesday, and you don't know how many people talked crap on me about being Catholic. I just sat there and took it in. I'm not going to fight with people about religion. It's useless.
Sorry for all that Vicky. I commend you for having religious convictions. Good for you!!!
And Kat...see your avatar...that is what we will do to you if you even think about touching a cigarette!! Step one has begun....you can do it!!!!!! And just think in a few weeks those breaths in and out will be a lot easier and freer!!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Favorite quote from 2007: Some people are like a Slinky ... not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you shove them down the stairs.
This is odd, I'm getting cold sweats. No joke but 8 hours have gone by and I have even been to three stores. I didn't buy any smokes just gum. Went to mass today and they said the too most failed fastings are to quit smoking and drinking. It was said that we should not make our goal the next 40 days but life. All I know is this is really hard, like OMG hard!
Ok I realize that is not good...
