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What, if anything, are you giving up for Lent?

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  • #1

    What, if anything, are you giving up for Lent?

    I'm considering cheese but it might be the death of me. Also, definitely giving up swearing!!

    In previous years I've done Diet Coke, alcohol, red meat, and snacking between meals. The snacking between meals one was actually the hardest and I'm not sure I truly made it but I did my best.

    Also, if anyone is looking to do something that's "additive" rather than giving something up, I had a friend once who decided that she would call her grandmother every Sunday during Lent. Her grandmother adored it and it really helped them feel connected. I thought it was lovely and would definitely consider that an appropriate Lenten activity.
    Married to a Urology Attending! (that is an understated exclamation point)
    Mama to C (Jan 2012), D (Nov 2013), and R (April 2016). Consulting and homeschooling are my day jobs.
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  • #2
    Re: What, if anything, are you giving up for Lent?

    Dessert. Originally I was also going to give up alcohol but I have an important business trip right after it ends and it requires tons of entertaining. If I give up drinking for 40 days I'll pass out at my first meeting So just dessert. All forms.

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    • #3
      Re: What, if anything, are you giving up for Lent?

      Every year I give up chocolate, my dearest love and an appallingly inappropriate percentage of my ordinary caloric intake.

      But, I don't tend to talk about it with people. I've noticed that a lot of people either think it's silly ("But God likes chocolate!"), really a diet strategy ("I need THAT diet!"), or a fascinating miraculous occurrence ("Wow! I could never do that! How do you manage?"--as if I've given away all my possessions, taken a vow of poverty and chastity, and joined a nunnery). But it's rarely seen as a simple religious discipline in preparation for Easter.

      And I feel like a freak at office parties if people know, because there's always someone who puts me on display (loudly, as the store-bought, mediocre birthday cake is being sliced and distributed like gold): "Now, make sure Abigail gets a VANILLA PIECE!! Did you heard? VANILLA OVER HERE FOR ABIGAIL! She's given up chocolate! Yes, RIGHT! SHE HAS! I think she's Catholic or something like that..."

      Stares, stares, stares. As if people are waiting for me to suffer the stigmata and crawl on my bleeding knees across broken glass to a cross in my office.

      It's just easier to say that I'm not hungry for cake.

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      • #4
        Re: What, if anything, are you giving up for Lent?

        I think I'm going to be better about going to church every week. When you go from Catholic school K-12 and college, mass is built right in, but now I have to make more of an effort.

        And yes, don't you love the "oh, you're catholic?" comments!

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        • #5
          Re: What, if anything, are you giving up for Lent?

          Originally posted by ekreter
          I'm considering cheese but it might be the death of me.
          I'm not sure I could live a life without cheese. Even for just a short time.

          I like your friend's idea of adding something good!
          Sandy
          Wife of EM Attending, Web Programmer, mom to one older lady scaredy-cat and one sweet-but-dumb younger boy kitty

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          • #6
            Re: What, if anything, are you giving up for Lent?

            Not Catholic here, but hows this for the "Ohhhh, you're Catholic?" I used to go to my bff's house every Friday after school to play, and my parents would pick me up after dinner.

            My bff reminded me the other day that she remembers when I asked her if her mom knew how to cook anything other than fish.

            married to an anesthesia attending

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            • #7
              Re: What, if anything, are you giving up for Lent?

              "Ohhhh, you're Catholic?"
              Raised Catholic, Catholic School, and my last name is Goldberg now!!!!!!!!!!!
              Makes for some interesting conversations.
              Luanne
              wife, mother, nurse practitioner

              "You have not converted a man because you have silenced him." (John, Viscount Morely, On Compromise, 1874)

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              • #8
                Re: What, if anything, are you giving up for Lent?

                I'm giving up meat. We'll be eating lots of seafood for the next 40 days. I did this last year and DH was soooo not amused that his pregnant wife had given up her main source of protein. He's more relaxed this year since he knows I can make up for it with peanut butter, seafood, lentils, etc. I'm still nursing so he still watches that I eat enough healthy foods.
                Veronica
                Mother of two ballerinas and one wild boy

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                • #9
                  Re: What, if anything, are you giving up for Lent?

                  I haven't decided yet. I was thinking about reading the daily readings every evening before bed.
                  Cranky Wife to a Peds EM in private practice. Mom to 5 girls - 1 in Heaven and 4 running around in princess shoes.

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                  • #10
                    Re: What, if anything, are you giving up for Lent?

                    I'm reading the Bible as my New Year's resolution - my bible has a schedule in the back to make sure you read enough to get through.

                    Last year Max and I read day by day what happened each day of Holy Week from Palm Sunday until Easter Sunday. It was pretty cool, I love doing readings together, it's nice downtime. This year we'll be doing it on the phone but I still think it's worth it.

                    Good luck if that's what you choose!
                    Married to a Urology Attending! (that is an understated exclamation point)
                    Mama to C (Jan 2012), D (Nov 2013), and R (April 2016). Consulting and homeschooling are my day jobs.

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                    • #11
                      Re: What, if anything, are you giving up for Lent?

                      One year DH gave up caffeine. Dude. If anyone is considering that, taper off a few weeks before.

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                      • #12
                        Re: What, if anything, are you giving up for Lent?

                        I changed my mind. Limiting myself to one visit to Chick-fil-A per week (big cut back for me). And I WILL make it to Mass every Sunday. And every holy day.

                        I gave up caffeine one year. I was in college and all my friends did it too so they could put up with me. I guess I tend to not be very nice without my morning Diet Coke or Diet Dr Pepper. :huh:
                        Veronica
                        Mother of two ballerinas and one wild boy

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                        • #13
                          Re: What, if anything, are you giving up for Lent?

                          This post has brought out the Catholic guilt big time! I am giving up soda and I will have fish on Fridays, but I don't think either one is a big sacrifice on my part. I think I will try to go to church every Sunday...not easy with a 5 month old in tow...oops here comes the excuses...
                          I'll try to come up with something better.

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                          • #14
                            Re: What, if anything, are you giving up for Lent?

                            Originally posted by v-girl

                            I gave up caffeine one year.
                            I did that one year. My husband made me promise that I would never, ever do that again, because it turned me into a big, huge you-know-what.

                            I didn't know it was that bad. I drink only two Cokes a day, sometimes only one. And no coffee or caffeinated tea. But, it is true that I don't function well until my sugar-and-caffeine hit in the morning.

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                            • #15
                              Re: What, if anything, are you giving up for Lent?

                              Not Catholic here. Not anything in fact.

                              BUT, I still like the idea of a 40 day personal challenge to signify a new beginning (Spring works for me).

                              but due to some conflicts with family, my personal challenge will be 38 days this year.

                              and I'm giving up wine. There it is. Laid out for all to see.

                              (not beer, not gin, not vodka...but wine. and that's going to be enough of a challenge as I have a glass with dinner and a glass after dinner...EVERY DAY)

                              Jenn

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