‘Tis the season of Lent. As religious seasons go, this is my favorite. One reason it is my favorite is that you don’t have to be particularly religious for Lent to be meaningful.
For me, Lent is about being aware of many things that I too often ignore. Things like gratitude, grief, life’s impermanence, and life lessons that sneak up on me.
Traditionally, at least in liturgical history, Lent is a time to give something up. There’s wisdom to that. Giving something up that is a routine part of life, like red meat or red wine or sweets or TV reality shows, quickly reveals my dependence on those things. Depriving myself of some routine thing reminds me how mindlessly I go about most of my day. Voluntary deprivation necessitates intentionality, a quality that too often I ignore as I allow my day to go on around me.
Again this year, I plan to intentionally add something to my day; a few minutes to sit, think, and then write. I hope in that time I can focus on those things that usually elude me, like gratitude and grief and impermanence. We’ll see.
I attended the Ash Wednesday service at our church two days ago. This is a service all about impermanence. “From dust you were born into this world, to dust you will return.” That sums it up. We all know that life is a terminal event. We just don’t know the timing, and therein lies the dilemma. How shall we live with the hope of more days to come, and at the same time be aware that it could end today? If I have more days, how can I spend them with greater intentionality? If this is my last, what do I want to do by the end of the day?
I hope for a joyous and thoughtful Lent. I will post these entries as they get done. I hope you can join me.
1 Comment until now
Thank you, John. I too often tend to slip mindlessly through my day with too much automaticity. You have reminded me of the delicate balance and nature of this life making it all the more precious.
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