Limbering up for Lent, again

It's that time of year again; I start thinking about what to renounce and what to start doing. The annual testing of the will. For the 18th year in a row.

On Saturday, I drank my last cup of coffee to replace it with strong black tea, which will be getting weaker as Lent approaches (Ash Wednesday, 25 February). A sudden ditching of caffeine has, in past Lents, led to some of the worst headaches I've ever experienced, so one needs to come off the stuff gradually. Kicking alcohol is easy - I just stop and that's it. Towards the end of Lent I'm looking down my nose at people who feel a need to drink; but then the health benefits of moderate intakes of red wine outweigh such self-righteousness over the scale of the whole year.

What else to give up? Stuff I like (salt, salt snacks, cheese, fried meat products, fast foods of all descriptions, jazz), stuff I could take or leave (cakes, chocolate, confectionery, biscuits, TV)... All shall be set aside for 46 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. Hang on. 46 not 40? I don't quit Sundays. Last year I gave up fish, this year I won't. Reason: Omega 3 oils are good for the brain.

But what's the philosophy behind this annual giving stuff up? Lent, after all, lasts fully one-eighth of the year. Partly exercise of the will, partly a health kick, and partly spiritual; asceticism does bring one nearer to thoughts of what life and the universe are all about.

Giving things up, I find, is a lot easier than doing things. Daily disciplines of mind, body and spirit. The will to something must be exercised as well. More to follow on this one. Click on the 'Lent' label to see last year's effort.

This time last year:
Lent kicks off early!
New viaduct from Ursynów to the airport