It’s Mardi Gras again, where New Orleans turns into party central(I mean more than it usually is!), the masks go on, the booze flows, and scads of women show their breasts to get beads. Well, all that revelry is supposed to kick off the holy season of Lent, which is the season of penance, reflection and fasting that prepares us for the resurrection of Jesus.
Giving something up for Lent is like a form of fasting to us in modern times.
But the last few years, I found it kind of an empty practice just giving up my daily coffee (and being crabby all morning)! I try to think of Lent in a different way, and you don’t have to be Christian to do this, just think of it as a practice in personal growth.
5 THINGS I WILL GIVE UP FOR LENT. No, not Diet Coke, ok? This is supposed to be deeper than that…..
1. GOSSIP.
This one is a toughie, because I try to work on it daily, and yet I still can get caught up in the “juicy details of something I heard around town”. But then inevitably, the GUILT sets in. I HATE talking about people, I feel terrible about it. Why did I just do that???? ARGHHH. I will STOP myself from gossiping. I certainly am not perfect, and I definitely don’t want people gossiping about me, so there it is.
2. STRESSING OUT ABOUT INSIGNIFICANT DETAILS. (Can you say First-World Problems?)
Yes, we all have our days where the cup is half-empty, but it is so eye-opening to just stop yourself in the middle of the pity party and ask “couldn’t this be worse? A LOT worse?????? The answer is ALWAYS YES. I mean, I am healthy, my husband and kids are healthy, I have a roof over my head and a job, so what is the problem? It is all about the choice we make to have a good attitude. Shit happens, cars break, traffic happens, bills come in the mail, but I for one am going to take a deep breath, relax, and smile, and hug my kiddos.
3. COMPARING MYSELF TO OTHERS.
I saw a friend of mine this morning and she was in a brand new car, and my first thought wasn’t -“how great for her!” It was “she must be doing really well at her job, probably better than I am…..” REALLY? So dumb. I know we are all on our own path, that all of these things are the results of our choices, opportunities, talents, and a million other circumstances, and yet it still runs through my mind. AND I LOVE HER, and she works really HARD! So what is THAT? And would I trade where I am right now to have someone else’s life? NO WAY!
As a performer, I have compared myself to others my entire career. It is only in the past few years I have been able to really see that I may not sing something like someone else does, but it doesn’t mean I’m not good, just different. This one is a work in progress.
4. SAYING “I AM TIRED”.
Parents are always tired. Let’s just get that out, and be done with it. I am so sick of saying I am tired and hearing it, there are much more interesting things to say. And I at least get to go to sleep every night in a nice soft bed, right? (if my kids don’t wake me, haha, JK).
5. WORRYING.
I have always been an anxious person. It is something I consciously try to work on, and not pass on to my kids. I wasted SO MUCH TIME worrying about things that I often had no control over. All we can do is prepare the best we can for things and then let go. My daughter asks me all the time “don’t you get nervous singing in front of all those people?” I tell her, “Sure a little, but it’s more excitement. If I practiced and I am prepared, there is nothing to be nervous about. I just want to enjoy it, and hopefully the audience will too”.
Have a great day, everybody!
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