Lent

You may remember our observance of Lent last year when we gave up TV. I thought it would be painful, but ended up as one of the most productive self-improvement paths we've ever taken. We ended up paying out the remainder of our DirecTV contract to be able to cancel that service and did not even miss TV after the Lenten season was over. We found ourselves reading, talking, going to bed earlier, and many other good habits that we had neglected since having kids and being relegated to the house each night. We did end up hooking up a digital antenna box to be able to see Longhorn football games once fall rolled around, but there are still many days that the TV does not come one, and we are a much better family for it.

This year, the Lenten season snuck up on us and we found ourselves with just a few days of discussing and praying left before having to make a decision today, on Ash Wednesday. We've giving up restaurants as our penance. I think this will be much more tough than TV, at least for me. I rely on restaurants when we're running ragged and need to eat but haven't taken the time to cook dinner, or as a reward for something good the kids did (Chick-fil-a), or as a reward to myself when I'm stressed and bedraggled (Starbucks). This affects our bodies and personal well-being as we never eat as well at restaurants as we do at home. It affects our budget, as we allot entirely too much money to our eating-out line item. It affects our time management because it ends up taking longer to eat out on a week night as opposed to throwing something on the table and eating while still leaving time for baths and bedtimes instead of waiting for a table/waiting to be served/waiting for a check/driving home late/rushing to get the kids in bed. Really, there is nothing good that comes from our terrible reliance on restaurants, it is just another form of our gluttony and selfishness. Thus, it has to go.

This probably sounds trite and needless to many, but it is a severe weakness we have in our lives. I pray God uses this time to work healthier habits in our lives, as He did last year.