Ash Wednesday. No more Girl on the Train for me.
I wanted to start this post with a coolio photograph of ashes crisscrossing my forehead but I won’t receive those till later this evening.
Which is best because that saves me the angst of deciding whether it is prideful to post a photo of my ashy forehead or an honest representation of my day. Or both. Which would lead me to fretfully weigh my hubris against my desire for honest journalism.
The infernal question haunting the dreams of all Real Housewives Who Would Be Pulitzer Winning Journalists, or Bloggers, er . . . forget it.
Every year my sister and I give up the same thing for Lent. Sweets and Chips.
This year after much soul searching on the true meaning of Lent, I decided to give up Sweet and Chips. Said as any woman due to be Mother of the Groom in four months and wanting to drop a few pounds.
But I also want to grow in the spiritual sense as my waist shrinks by a couple of centimeters.
So what else to give up?
Dying my hair? Yoga? Raisins in my granola?
Nope.
My sister asked what I'm giving up for Lent. Sweets, chips and worrying. #AshWednesday
— Jamie Miles (@SouthMainMuse) March 1, 2017
It’s there at the end.
WORRY made my Lenten abstention short list.
So for 40 days that means . . .
No mental mastication.
No waking up at night allowing my brain to latch onto a million things that I can’t do one thing about at the moment.
No way you say?
Okay. You are probably right.
Worry and fearfulness have plagued humans since humans begat humans.
Fight or Flight.
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Franklin Roosevelt
The Girl on the Train. Elaine Benes
“Oh, this is great. This is what I need, just what I need. Okay, take it easy I’m sure it’s nothing. Probably rats on the track, we’re stopping for rats. God, it’s so crowded. How can there be so many people? This guy really smells, doesn’t anyone use deodorant in the city? What is so hard, you take the cap off, you roll it on. What’s that? I feel something rubbing against me. Disgusting animals, these people should be in a cage. We are in a cage. What if I miss the wedding? I got the ring. What’ll they do? You can’t get married without the ring. Oh, I can’t breath, I feel faint.”
“I never worry about being driven to drink; I just worry about being driven home.” W. C. Fields
“Nothing in the affairs of men is worthy of great anxiety.” Plato
I bet Plato never had to tidy his temple for a baby shower with 40 women in attendance.
Christ used lovely imagery to illustrate the futility of worry pointing out the effortless beauty of the lilies in the field and how birds neither sow nor reap but are provided for . . . But Matthew 6: 25 – 34 is a lot to memorize.
This Lent, Psalm 37:3 is going to be my mantra.
Trust in the Lord and do good. Easy peasy.
To memorize that is.
Trusting God in all things is more difficult.
Though staying busy doing good does help take the mind off your own troubles.
Giving up anything for Lent?
I almost wrote about the same thing when I returned home from ash distribution. Then I fell asleep. I was also going to write primarily the same thing, my plans for giving what up.
I usually give up sweets and gossip. Both easy and routine goals. Somehow though dark chocolate always found a loop hole. This year, no! It will be one of the hardest things for me. So dark chocolate is one. I swear a lot and mostly in my head, but that’s on there, too. I feel I need to add something positive and serve more. I also need to remember to pray and give thanks more.
So, I guess I have a list of four strangely, unrelated items of abstinence or goals.
Worrying during the waking hours is controllable but I like your strategy for giving to up to the Lord. A wedding?!?!? How awesome and you’ll look great because you already do! Have so much fun these last four months and hopefully you’ll post pictures!
An intentional mindset of gratitude is a great way to get worries off your mind. Maybe I should start my worrying fast that way. And yes. We have a June wedding. It’ll be June next week. Right?
I didn’t know about this wedding!!
Congrats! (And don’t worry about your dress! 🙂 )
I’m not giving up anything this year.
I’m already trying not to worry and mostly I succeed… God’s in control, right? So, there’s not point in worrying… And I love PS 37:3… Can’t help but think of Trish.
xo
xoxo. Not doing so well on the not worrying. But at least I try to stop when I realize I’ve hopped on the Worry Train.