What are you giving up?

So it’s Ash Wednesday right? Well I’m told we’re supposed to give up something we love and fast for 40 days until East. And not being Catholic, or Christian for that matter, I guess I’m not really obligated to give up anything for Lent, but I usually do. I just like the challenge of it, and it seems a little easier than just making a New Year’s resolution. I have no idea what I’m giving up this year.

Last year I gave up coffee, alcohol, and all soft drinks. It was pretty rough the first couple weeks, but after awhile I was doing alright. And it really helped reduce my tolerance to alcohol by the time the fast ended. It didn’t take much to get me liquored up and it’d been awhile since I could spend so little for such an intense buzz. But what it really helped was I sort of lost my want to drink from that. Sure over the year since, I’ve drank, but anymore it’s aligned with someone coming to town to visit, or a party. And since November, it’s been almost non-existent, so I’m not sure that’d be a great thing to give up this year.

Coffee is always a good one, as it helps my insides to detox from the coffee addiction I have. Things seem to function a little more normally when I stop the coffee, but it does help me sleep. Yeah I know, that’s odd or something, but coffee does help me sleep. So I’ll have to go through a few weeks of horrible sleep, but it could be worth it.

Then there is the subject of my life over the past few months, food. While I can’t give up food for Lent, I can try to give up certain types of food for that time. I guess I should have evaluated before just now what sorts of food I want to give up for the next few weeks. I’m sure I can do a little research on the few things I’m eating now and find something to avoid for 40 days. Which while I’m thinking about it, it’s not 40 days, it’s more like six and a half weeks, but they don’t count Sundays.

So how about this, all of the above. I’m up for a challenge. I’ll come up with a list of foods I’m avoiding, stop drinkng coffee and alcohol, and if there happens to be an odd moment where I may just end up with a soft drink, I’ll avoid that as well. Damn, this could be easy, this could be extremely difficult. Hopefuly it’s difficult, I need the challenge.

Maybe I’ll even give up cussin’.