Tag Archives: lent

the longing of the soul

Posted on by
Reply

Hey, all. I am doing this in a backwards manner because today is Ash Wednesday which means the beginning of Lent, so before I bore y’all with photos of my adorable nephew that I got to meet and spend time with this past weekend, I am going to tell you about my plans for Lent.

A few years back, I started using Lent as a focus point in my life, helping me get back on track to something that I believe is important to me. It may not be “religious” for me any more, but it is certainly a spiritual act. Last year, I used Lent to focus my exercise, vowing to move my body for 40 days.

This year, in keeping with my wants for myself this year, I am going to make time to read. I have reconnected to reading this year through my New  Year’s Resolution to read 52 books in 2014, and I think spending just 30 minutes a day will help me reach that goal.

When I was in college, I read all the time; I read on trains, on planes, on the way to and from work and class. When I moved to LA, my commute became king, and I now tend to drive everywhere. Although I sometimes listen to books on tape CD, I usually am focused on traffic after work so I listen to NPR or music.

But I’ve been trying to listen to spoken word more, by listening to podcasts (mostly RadioLab) when I run, and I have been trying to get to bed in time to read a book, not Facebook or Twitter or the millions of blogs I read.

I’ve really enjoyed reconnecting to my love of books, and I hope these 40 days, a mere 20 hours of my life, can really remind me to pick up where I left off in that novel rather than that TV show or that feed.

Do you guys do anything for Lent? Share it with me and we can help each other out these 40 days!

Happy (Ash) Wednesday, y’all.

So bright, she can burn your eyes

Posted on by
Reply

A few things to report, chickens.

1) I am currently on the hunt for a job. My most recent opportunity didn’t prove to be the right fit for me, so I am working on my next step and deciding where I want to go next!

2) As a result of 1, I have made several to-do lists, have made endless commitments in the next few weeks as I look for work, and have decided the following:

3) For Lent, instead of giving something up, I am going to exercise every day for the 40 days. Over the past few years, Lent has involved for me from a religious pastime to something I do for myself, a renewal different than New Year’s Resolutions, a time to reinforce what I decided on January 1. Last year, I gave up doing things I didn’t want to do, and I think it was a 40 day period that taught me a lot about who I am and what I stand for.

4) We finished the cleanse, by the way, on February 4. I am still not eating much processed food, which I think is the best lasting affect I could have asked for! It’s helped me focus on whole foods, and focus on the question: What am I really hungry for? (Downtime? Am I just thirsty? A walk? A break?)

5) I am loving Alicia Keys, Girl on Fire, as my motto for my life as it currently is.

On the first day of Lent, I went hiking with Liz, which was such a delight to catch up and be outside during the day. Yesterday I did yoga, and today I plan on either doing yoga or running (I have to get ready for my half-marathon in June, after all!)

Are you giving up anything for Lent?