To Lent or not to Lent?

Lent kind of has a special place in my heart. It actually marks the beginning of my healthy behaviours as a teen. When I was in Grade 12 I decided to participate in Lent for the challenge alone and ended up abstaining from all sweets, chips and pop. There was only one day where I had a little "slip-up" but it was planned: a small slice of cake on my mom's birthday.

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Was it German chocolate cake? I actually can't remember :P. But this is one of my mom's favourites!

Yes, the first few days were hard but in a strange way I enjoyed being offered some ____ (coke, cookies, party mix, etc) and having the power to say no. It was almost easier than if I did it any other time in the year because I could just say "Sorry, I've given that up for Lent."

When I first decided to abstain from the aforementioned foods I had visions of myself pigging out and overindulging after the 40 days were up. But a funny thing happened...I  no longer craved those things. Fast forward to today (8 years later...eek! that makes me feel OLD) and I still don't drink pop. Unfortunately I can't say the same for baked goods :P.

So I have 2 questions today:

Will I participate in Lent this year?

If so, what will I give up?

In googling about this topic I found the picture below. Are there any that stand out to you?

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Although my eyes fixated on chocolate and coffee I don't really feel compelled or challenged to give them up. Then I started thinking...

What if instead of NOT doing something, I do something that I normally wouldn't do?

I don't really know what this would look like. It could be anything from volunteering at a new place to focusing more on my spiritual life to writing letters to old (and new) friends. It's an interesting twist on the topic.

Soooooo you will probably hear fairly soon if I am "lenting" or not "lenting". It's a decision that part of me wants to cast to the side but another part knows that I will grow through the process. Stay tuned ;).