The 40 Day Diet

[Disclaimer: Religion is one of those things that gets people's panties in a huge bunch. These words below, and this entire blog, are my thoughts. Hate them, love them, they are mine that I choose to share with you. I mean no harm and hope not to offend. But if I do, please respond with care.]

Today is Wednesday. Also known as Hump Day. It just so happens to be the Wednesday that falls after the gluttonous holiday of Fat Tuesday, so you know what that means? Today is Ash Wednesday. Also the beginning of what seems to be the infamous "40 Day Diet" aka Lent.

For those of you who know understand the correlation, let me explain. Lent lasts 40 days and 40 nights. While it's original purpose was for the parishioners to get closer to God through a "preparation of the believer". This period consisted of prayer, of course, repenting sins, selfless giving to others for a religious purpose or rite and self-denial aka fasting. Fast forward some years (many) and Lent has been generalized as a period of time when giving up fats and sweets is the norm. Hence what I like to call the 40 Day Diet.

[EDIT: It was brought to my attention by a reader that it seems as though I was thinking Ash Wednesday being preceded by Fat Tuesday was some sort of coincidence. Wrong. I'm completely aware of the connection between Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. Simply put? Feast before fast. Carry on.]

How did everything change from worshipping and preparing for Easter to not eating fried foods?

Don't get me wrong. I myself have participated in many 40 Day Diets and remember giving up meat (last year), fried foods (the year before), and chocolate (a year in high school while I worked at a candy store). So I'm not knocking everyone who decided to give up facebook, coffee, sodas, fried foods or what have you. I'm just trying to figure out where things went awry. And why are we so focused on giving up things when Lent is supposed to involve many other aspects? I don't know, the whole giving to others thing strikes me as something that's worthy of participating in for 40 days and 40 nights. But that's just me. Maybe I'm the crazy one.

I remember a few years ago the thing I was "giving up" for Lent fell in line with this. I gave up my money. Now before you come after me with pitchforks or flip your desk over in confusion, let me explain myself. When people asked for donations, I gave them donations. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. In those 40 days I probably donated a total of $100 but I got so much more out of it. I helped people. Lots of people and organizations and foundations. I even gave $10 to a homeless man and his daughter who were begging for food. Were they really homeless? That's not for me to decide but for the one that they answer to at the end of the day. But before I start rambling, I'll wrap this bitty up.

If you're going to participate in Lent (and that's not for me to decide for you. I truly, could care less if you do or not), think about giving up something that will help someone else. Not as a way for you to fit into your bathing suit in a few months. Helping others is just as much as a way to better yourself as reducing your calories.

Oh. And it probably wouldn't hurt if you went and repented for those sins that you've done. You know... Mardi Gras, New Year's Eve, every Friday night? But again. I don't judge. It's not my place.

Until next time...