And unto dust I shall return

[apple_pathways]

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. Though I'm a lapsed Catholic and an atheist, I still believe in the ritual of fasting/denial. I think giving something up, denying oneself, focuses the mind and forces you to examine yourself. And so I want to give something up for Lent.

I'm thinking of giving up meat, but I'm not sure if it's entirely practical. (I've given up meat for a week at a time before, but certainly never for 40 days (46 with Sundays) before. Perhaps give up red meat? Or use the christian definition of meat and give up everything but fish? I'm not sure.

Does anyone else plan on denying themselves? Have any tales of fasting to share with me?

Did anyone eat a Pączki today? I forgot to get one. Hmm, perhaps I'll get a discount if I seek one out tomorrow...

Should I give up sweets instead?

Comments

[roh-wyn.livejournal.com]

I can't speak to Lent specifically, but most cultures seem to suggest fasting as an exercise in self-discipline. I'm an infrequently-observant Hindu, and Eastern thought on the subject is that denial allows you to access your inner spirituality without distraction.

For myself, I've only fasted with any consistency at one point in my life. I was a senior in college, and I stopped eating salt one day a week on the advice of my grandmother. I did it for about two years, actually, and it was a good experience, actually.

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

I've given up meat for a week at a time a few times in my life. It's a great way to really examine your lifestyle, and what you eat! I know I ate healthier for those times. Fasting in general is a great way to become more aware of what you do and why you do it.

Salt, huh? Was it just salt from a shaker you gave up, or salty foods as well?

[roh-wyn.livejournal.com]

It was anything with salt in it. So basically, all processsed food, pretty much all cooked food and most non-natural beverages. Because I could never be sure what foods had salt in them when I ate out, it also ensured that I didn't eat out that one day of the week.

It was an interesting experiment. The giving up salt wasn't as hard as remembering I'd given it up and not eating an offending thing by accident, lol.