“Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.”
“Remember you are dust and to dust you will return.”
Yesterday, these two phrases permeated Catholics churches across Planet Earth, meant to inspire us to reevaluate our spiritual and physical practices. Will we heed the call?
I religiously adhere to the dietary restrictions and consistently identify what I will be giving up, but I find far more purpose in increasing my charitable acts and improving myself. While I routinely greet my mornings as clean slates, Ash Wednesday has always served as annual checkup. Forty days without something is generally achievable; however, the hope for humans has always been that we continue righting our paths. For example, my mother gave up drinking for Lent over thirteen years ago.
Annually, the first thing I attempt to give up is cussing. This is very hard, because I do it instinctively. This morning, before I cussed out loud, I had already cussed in my thoughts. Regardless, I will continue to try and refrain in hopes of ridding cussing from my vocal chords and my mind. This year, in addition to trying not to cuss, I have decided to give up tea (hot and cold). I drink a lot of tea and I enjoy it very much. Last night, my neighbor brought up giving up coffee, but coffee is part of what keeps me running and able to take care of all that I need to on Planet Earth. That said, I do not have to drink more than one cup a day. So, in addition to trying to give up cussing and tea, I will limit my coffee intake to one cup per day. That is right, no more soy lattes, unless I forgo my morning cup of java. Since I drink one cup of coffee a day and it is first thing in the morning, this will probably mean that soy lattes will go by the wayside. Perhaps, this is a good thing. Have you seen the price of a tall soy latte?
So, my journey to the foot of the cross begins. I will work hard to strengthen my body by exercising more often, avoid overindulging with my food consumption, refrain from drinking tea, and attempt to train my tongue not to curse.
Now, onto my charitable acts!
that she was finally able to go outdoors, sit on her porch, and absorb some vitamin D. Having dislocated her right kneecap, she has been trapped at home – a reluctant homebody. I, on the other hand, am a homebody, especially in times of despair. I didn’t care, for I knew what I had to do. R was thrilled to hear that I was willing to take her to the beach and out for lunch. I collected R and my dog, Scooter, and I drove us down the hill. Scooter whined the whole way; he knew where we were headed. As soon as we heard the waves breaking, our true journey began. I situated R on a bench so she could find her Chi and I went off with my sidekick for a walk on the berm. We walked on the berm until I saw dogs off their leashes (laws, people, laws), so we journeyed down to the beach. You see, Scooter is a very troubled pound dog, that doesn’t socialize well. This is why I take him to the beach, so he can sniff out his own version of Chi. Scooter sniffed and chased the orange ball I tossed, while my thoughts turned to words. What can I write? How can I improve my blog? How can I manifest products that will help mental challenges? With each visit, my written world expands. It is here, where my soul connects with the elements: fire, air, earth, and water. The sun warms me, the cool, salty breeze fills me, the Earth stabilizes me, and the waves renew me. Human needs that we take for granted.
