Today is Ash Wednesday and thus the
beginning of Lent. As a good Catholic,
I'm must give up something I adore for
forty days and nights. I've decided to
repeat my Lenten commitment from
last year. So, NO BOOZE for Greg
until Saturday April nineteenth. Given
this exercise requires a bit of a struggle,
it certainly qualifies as an appropriate
gesture of deprivation. Pray for me.
I did think about giving up shopping.
However my added girth has already
shifted my purchasing patterns away
from apparel. I simply can't find much
in my favorite shops that fits me. This
truly irritates me given I'm really not
that much heavier. It seems like they're
making clothing skimpier. Recently I
was vindicated when I donned a ten
year old MEDIUM Gucci cardigan.
IT FIT PERFECTLY. While that made
me feel better, nothing still fits which
is enough punishment for my fat soul.
YES... I could give up DISHES.
But honestly, I've already done so to
a large extent. As of now my primary
focus is completing a few patterns.
Items rarely come up for purchase on
e-bay so when they do, I POUNCE!
Otherwise there's no other porcelain
that I crave. Hence my consumption
has fallen off dramatically! As for
crystal, I'm chasing several elusive
patterns which are rarely available.
So, while giving up table top might
seem appropriate, I wouldn't miss it.
I considered giving up blogging but then
what would all of you do? Every day a
plethora of folks religiously read these
missives from around over the world.
No matter the time or place, somehow
I sense a connection with my kindred
spirits. I do enjoy jotting off an entry
everyday, and would definitely suffer
the consequences of not doing so. Yet
I doubt that God wants me to hurt you
during my Lenten withdrawal. Rather
than cause you pain, I'll continue to
blog and I hope you'll continue to read.
I could give up Montana. However the
sad fact is that I already have. Given
my company is in the process of being
sold, travel isn't an option. I have not
been back to Lewistown since the New
Year. Instead I catch up on Passion Pit
progress via photos and updates from
the team. We are coming down to the
wire. Move in is tentatively early May.
Therefore I'm not returning until then.
Given it pains me to not be in Montana,
there is no spiritual benefit to claiming
my time away as a Lenten loss.
So, booze it is. My greatest angst is
how my abstinence may impact my
friends. I do enjoy a cocktail and
have been told that after sipping a
bit of the brew I can be somewhat
charming. Given my demeanor will
not be chemically supplemented for
the next forty nights, my prayer is
that my dinner companions do not
suffer the consequences. I promise
to try to make our meals together
enjoyable. Simply know that if I'm
a bit dull, it's for a higher purpose.