Lent

The sun set on February over the gorgeous aqua green water of the Indian Ocean. With our bellies full and our hearts happy, we fell asleep to the sounds of waves lapping up against the soft sands of the beach just outside our bedroom windows. It was a perfect ending to yet another month, and the following morning was a perfect beginning to a new month and a new season.

It is, of course, the season of Lent. Many people “celebrate” this season by sacrificing something, giving something up, taking something out of their lives. I’ve always enjoyed this ritual because I believe small doses of self-denial can offer immense personal growth if the motives are right. I don’t like to view this giving something up so much as a sacrifice, though. I prefer to think of it in terms of an exchange. In the past, I’ve given up swearing. That was hard, but, when I took swear words out of my vocabulary, I actually found better ways to express myself. It was a sacrifice in that it challenged me to change, but I also got a lot out of the experience.

Hoping for similar results this year, I’ve decided to give up sweets. That means no bakery cakes or candies, no ice cream treats on a hot afternoon, and no licking the bowl of Betty Kochamma’s yummy desserts. This will certainly be a challenge, but I know taking sugar out of my diet for six weeks will be good for me. It is, however, much more a mental/emotional/spiritual thing than a physical thing. I have found that, on the days when things go wrong or the moments when I feel the worst, the only thing I can think to do is head down the road to my favorite bakery and fix the world with a piece (or two) of cake. I don’t think the notion of “comfort food” should be banished altogether, but I do want to challenge myself to get through the hard moments and the stressful days without making a run to the bakery. Besides, there are better things to spend my stipend on. I’m supposed to be living simply, am I not?

At the same time that I’m taking sweets out of my life, I’m hoping to add something to it. If I can’t have a piece of cake or a kilo of candy to soothe my stresses from time to time, I am going to have to turn to something else – perhaps meditation or prayer, perhaps a visit to a good friend who I know can make me smile, perhaps even a good cry if the situation calls for it. Whatever it is, it won’t be something sweet on my lips; it might, however, be something sweet on my heart. This, I believe, captures the essence of the Lenten season. It’s not so much about “giving up,” but “growing up.”

And so it begins – a month without sweets for the girl who has an incurable sweet tooth. Can I do it? I actually believe I can. Yes, I love the cakes and candies from the bakeries, as well as Kochamma’s famous desserts. But I also love the growth that comes from of a small dose of denial. This Lent, I’m trying to be good to my body, my mind, and my spirit. And if I begin to go through sugar withdrawal, I know where to get some good fruit. The season of Lent also just happens to be the season of mangoes…and I’ve been waiting six months for that!