Tuesday, April 29, 2008

• better late than never

  by miss hibiscus

  I didn't give up anything for Lent this year.

  I'm not strict about Lent rituals every year; if there is something obvious that I need to give up in my life, then I'll give it up for Lent.  If there isn't, then I don't.  I mean, there's always something I can give up, but I look for very specific things that will actually help me after the 40 days are up.

  For example, 2 years ago, I gave up cursing/swearing.  This was quite a big deal for me because I didn't grow up cursing really.  I used to think it was a really vile habit that only reflected one's ignorance of the beauty and depth of the English language.

  Then, I entered Corporate America.

  Yeah, so basically I developed a real penchant for dropping the f-bomb everywhere.  I was polite enough to keep it behind closed doors at work, but it started seeping into my regular life and I'd find myself cursing under my breath or in my car or very freely in front of friends whom I knew would not be offended.

  So I gave that up for Lent and after the 40 days was up, I didn't want to curse as much as I used to.  Now and again, if I'm angry or bang my toe on furniture, I'll slip and swear under my breath.  But for the most part, the 40 days was good for me.

  It's with those hopes that I'm now giving up gossip.  To be more specific, celebrity gossip.  I've unsubscribed from my regular gossip feeds, including People.com, which I find to be the tamest.  Part of me can't believe that I've even come to this point where I have to give up celeb gossip/news, but I think it will definitely help my mindset in a lot of ways.

  Sometimes I just read celeb goss to laugh at people's wardrobe choices or "ooh" and "aah" over celeb baby photos, but most of the time I read about everything - breakups, weight-losses/gains, pregnancies (pre-marital usually), public drunkeness, fights, etc.  I know that what I read/see is slowly changing how I view the world and myself.  I cannot and should not think that celebrity lives are the norm - and that includes their salaries, body types, material possessions, and even super-liberal politics.  These are not the norm. 

  I have to feed my mind with more godly things, because what is in my mind will change what I think, believe, and eventually, what I do.  And as much as I'd love to have a fab house like Mariah, fame like Gwyneth, a body like Angelina, or a cute boyfriend like Reese... I know at the end of the day, and at the end of this life, I'd rather live my life the way Jesus wants and have God tell me, "ya did good, kid. *high five* !!"

  And who knows, Jesus might hook me up with a cute boyfriend/husband anyway!

  - h

  • 3:27 PM
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