Happy Lenton Season, everybody! Do you give up anything for the 40 days leading up to Easter? I've been observing this Lent tradition since I was in high school. Every year I try to give up something that I'm addicted to to remember the sacrifice that Jesus has made for us. Sure, it doesn't even come close to comparing, but at least I do something, ya know? Over the years I've given up popcorn, donuts, cokes, chocolate, ice cream, and who knows what else. It's funny to think back on those now, because right now popcorn and donuts wouldn't really be a challenge at all, but since I worked at a concession stand during high school, I remember not eating popcorn being SO hard! My dad used to buy donuts for our Sunday School class every week and the leftovers always came home with us. It was torture seeing them on the kitchen counter and not being able to eat them. Now? Not so much. Don't get me wrong, I still love me some buttery popcorn and a glazed donut (not at the same time) but they're rarely in my house tempting me to eat them.
Cokes felt like a big sacrifice at the time, but now that I don't drink caffeine, Sprite is the only "coke" (soft drink, for you non-southerners) that I drink. Chocolate is and always will be hard, but you know what has always made it the hardest? The fact that my birthday falls during Lent. And guys? My birthday cake needs to be chocolate. (I mean really, would it even be a birthday cake if it wasn't?)
So, after spending the last few days trying to think of something I could give up that would be hard and really feel like a sacrafice but not be just a repeat of the past, I've finally decided on something.
I'm giving up my snooze button.
Sigh...I know most of you probably think I'm kidding and that's not a big deal at all, but you obviously don't know how deep the relationship between me and the snooze button runs. We make contact at least four times a day. At ten minute increments, that adds up to a minimum of forty minutes of extra sleep! And this girl looooooves to sleep.
Doc asked if I was going to change my alarm time to the time I actually get around to getting up each day, or if I'd just get up earlier. As of right now, the plan is to keep the alarm set to the same and just get up earlier. I've already turned off the option to snooze. As Doc pointed out, this means I'll either be getting up right when the alarm goes off or somewhere around 9:30 when I finally wake up again. Let's hope it's not the latter since I have to be at work at 8:00.
Now, this would be where a better-than-me type of Christian would say that they're going to use those extra minutes to read scripture or do some kind of Bible study. As much as I'd like to say that's my plan, I'm going to be realistic and say I'll probably lay in bed for a few minutes before finally getting up to play with Lolli. And maybe if the weather ever warms up I'll get up and go for a walk. I'm such an exerciser.
Just because I'm not committing my morning minutes to something, doesn't mean I'm not adding something (a virtue, if you will) this Lenton season. I've decided I'm going to aim for posting this here blog at least four times a week. And it's up to you guys to keep me accountable. The way I see it, some of you might actually read this to keep up with what's going on in our lives (Lala, Poppa: I'm looking at you two since I imagine no one else really cares) so it really doesn't serve its purpose if I go a week between posts. Doc has already informed me that he prefers "meatier" posts to the short and sweet picture posts like my last one, but I can't guarantee that they'll all be like that. I will try to entertain you and kill as much of your work time as possible, but even I run out of things to say occasionally.
So there they are, my goals for Lent. Write more and sleep less. Lord, help me.
(In my pre-Lent thoughts about what to give up, I had decided I could conquer the lack of a snooze button as long as I offset it with more naps. Cause I like to nap. But here's the thing: have you ever tried to nap with a puppy on your head? Not do-able, people. Not do-able.)
I shared mine. Now it's your turn. We're all in this together.
Oh, guess what? Last Thursday when I was busy just uploading pictures because I didn't have anything to write about, I didn't notice that it was my 200th post. Yep, two hundred. Another milestone. Whomp, there it is.