Lent - what to give up?

[Jah Lush]

Never deprive yourself of things you enjoy in life. That's my motto.

[giggirl]

Keef Wrote:

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> I guess at least doing it for lent means you could

> have a ready made support network.

>

> Fair play to you GG. Wasn't having a dig, just an

> opinion.

>

> I stopped being catholic years ago but I only

> stopped being a practicing Christian a few years

> ago. I just can't imagine not giving something up

> for lent because I always have.

>

> This made me smile, having to give up in stages,

> like cutting down smoking before giving up

> completely! >:D<

Bless you - I'm not feeling got at!

I'll admit it's pretty odd isn't it. What's even more odd is being a lapsed-catholic inside a catholic church. Whenever I need to go (family reasons, sightseeing in the Vatican, whatever) I completely revert to catholic behaviour; genuflecting, blessing with holy water; saying all the right responses at the right times etc. I don?t know how to stop. Using your giving-up-smoking analogy of giving up in stages, maybe I?ll be blaspheming by this time next year and maybe lent will be a hedonistic highlight. Stranger things happen.

Incidentally, cutting down cigarettes doesn?t work ? you?ve just got to go cold turkey and be impossible to be around for a while. Sorry.

[Cassius]

I'm not even Catholic (and am now agnostic) and start feeling myself obliged to go through the actions when I am in a Catholic church. Something about rituals maybe that I find comforting.

[Keef]

I was Cof E, but very "High Church", and mass was barely any different to catholic mass.

When I do go for whatever reason (usually being roped in to choir for special services by my mum), I too do every last genuflection, say the responses, and even say all the prayers that I could recite word for word anytime!

Aaaaanyway, I feel I've changed the thread of this thread (:-S), so come on people, what are we all giving up for Lent?

Actually, with a kid on the way in April, I shall be giving up my freedom, so if you don't mind, I shall spend Lent indulging in as many of my vices as possible!

[HonaloochieB]

Hope. Go on take a leap of faith.

[????]

Of course, taking a socioligical point of view, Lent had a purpose beyond the ritual in getting everyone to cut down on food at a time when the surplus from the previous year's harvest was running a bit low.....

[charliecharlie]

I might have to give up the EDF for Lent, as I am really, really scared that I might find myself a Level 4 Addict

(well not really, really... but it is getting pretty bad, a girl needs to earn a living after all)

(ref stages of Forumites thread)

[Ted Max]

Indeed ????, one might even say there's a view that fasting at this time of year was a necessity because the supplies from the previous year's harvest had run out and it was an edgy wait till you could get your hands on some spring lamb from Wm Rose.

[????]

...especially if you'd given up queuing too

[bigbadwolf]

???? Wrote:

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> ...especially if you'd given up queuing too

Or paying.

[absentminded]

I'm going to give up chocolate and coke, like last year. Except this year I will actually try not to have them as opposed to every other year where I've made certain conditions around giving them up.....

[giggirl]

Dear Absentminded,

Did you forget what you'd given up?