Lent has begun, and I’ve decided to give up sweets and junk food in general. For the next 40* days, I am giving up ice cream, licorice, cereal, birthday cake-flavored Hershey’s kisses, peach gummies, crackers, potato chips, pretzels, and all other junk edibles of this ilk. I am even giving up my Freedent gum, which contains sugar. It is the one and only chewing gum that does not stick to my dentures, and it makes me particularly sad to ignore it. (If I get lonesome for doing some chewing during Lent, I suppose I will have to take up chewing tobacco.🤢)
I am taking this Lenten sacrifice seriously. It will be a true challenge for me because I am more of a snacker or grazer, not a 3-meals-a-day eater. During Lent, my whole food routine must change. If I discover I like the eating change, I suppose I will make it my new normal way of eating. That is something I cannot imagine, but I am big on being reasonable: if the result of my not eating junky food is that I feel better, I will likely follow the logic of it and decide to eat differently for the duration of my life. Right now, the idea that it is best to drop the junky food is only theoretical. I “know” the way I eat could be healthier, but experiencing a more healthy diet firsthand will make it personally clear and logical.
I do not look forward to these 40* days of Lent. It will be tough. I will need distractions. And I’m sure I will ask myself at some point in every day why I’m giving up anything for Lent at all, especially since I am not Catholic. But I like a challenge, and I like the idea of sacrificing something in order to grow as a person—even to treat my own body with more discipline and more respect.
So that’s the plan. But I know it’s possible I might fold tomorrow and eat a bowl of ice cream. The result of that would be a feeling of abject failure, and I do not need to feel like a failure. Ain’t nobody got time for that. I am indeed in charge of my success or failure in this matter. If I don’t succeed in sticking to the challenge for 40* days, it will be completely my fault.
And here’s a secret: I must admit that I am fully aware success in this endeavor will be possible for me to achieve only because Mom doesn’t cook her magnificent treats anymore. If Mom were still creating her yummy confections, I would not have even tried to give up sweets. Such a sacrifice would not have even occurred to me to attempt. I would have been setting myself up for sure failure. But I can do this now that Big Helen has retired from cooking. I think I can. I think I can. 🍧🍨🍦🍰🍭🍬🍫🍿🍩🍪
BTW If you don’t understand why 40 is followed by an asterisk, be sure to read yesterday’s TIE O’ THE DAY post for the explanation.