Ash Wednesday Eve

We're taking a quick break from Hong Kong stories today to talk about Lent. Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the official start of Lent. I know not all of you who read my little ramblings are of the christian faith, but it is a pretty important day for the christian religion. Although, a quick search just told me not all christian churches observe Ash Wednesday. In any regard, I grew up Catholic and we did so here I am writing about it. The standard practice is to give up something for Lent in order to prepare yourself for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline. The purpose is to set aside time for reflection on Jesus Christ - his suffering and his sacrifice, his life, death, burial and resurrection.I don't want to go to go into a whole Religion 101 lecture here, so we'll leave it at that. Preparing yourself for Easter.

So like I said, standard tradition is to give something up to make yourself more reflective and prepare yourself. However, this tradition has become widely abused. Many people, including yours truly in the past, take the easy way out and just give up something sort of hard without really thinking of the reason why. Yes giving up candy might be difficult, but does it make you reflect on the life of Jesus? Is it making you a better person? Are you growing?

Because of all this I like to do something extra for Lent, instead of giving something up. Doing something extra goes above and beyond your usual day to day routine. By pushing the limits of your comfort zone, you enable growth and self betterment. You are preparing yourself for Easter by living Jesus' words. It is a wonderful way to act in the tradition of Lent by focusing on a positive act (doing something extra) rather than a negative one (taking something away).

So what exactly am I doing extra for Lent this year? Working out daily. Whoa, wait a minute. Working out? How exactly is that preparing you for Easter? I'm so very glad you asked. When I work out, I have so much more energy throughout the rest of my day. I'm bouncier, fresher, happier. When I am all of those things, I am much more outgoing and personable with the world around me. I smile more at strangers (which is actually quite a feat considering I get weird looks from people all the time for smiling), am much more alert to opportunities for random acts of kindness, and I am much more likely to act upon those opportunities. I am more engaged and so much more the joyful, kindhearted, silly kid you all know and love. So there you have it. My promise for Lent. Work out more.

What are you giving up/doing extra for Lent??