Lenten Sacrifice

Currently, I'm not a very religious person, and even when I was I never liked the idea of giving up something for Lent. Maybe I was too childish at the time, too selfish? Both were probably accurate, and I hope now that I am neither.

Though religion eludes me, I can understand and appreciate the meaning of Lent. Jesus, before beginning his ministry, spent 40 days in the desert fasting and praying - basically, getting ready to be the Messiah. The Christian Lenten tradition of sacrifice is supposed to be the modern Christian's way of acting like Christ did during these 40 days and getting closer to God.

Unfortunately, there is so much emphasis put on "sacrifice" today that the praying part of Christ's 40 days gets lost in Lent. When faced with two options - giving up carbs for 40 days or praying regularly and intently for 40 days - I suspect most people would say that option 1 is easier. I believe that this is why many Christians hold onto the sacrifice part of Lent, and ignore the prayer/introspection part of it. As most of us know, it's easier to close the pantry than look deeply into oneself. I can attest to the difficulty of the latter.

Even for the non religious types, Lent has a good lesson. Take time to spend with yourself. Look inside, challenge your beliefs and habits. Get yourself ready to be more passionate about something, or more open, or more aware of your own thoughts. I spend so much time focusing on external problems, that the internal ones can easily be ignored. I know I'm not alone in this.

Today's Fun/Crazy Story

I went to buy Tylenol at the convenience store in my building because I'm starting to have some sinus and throat pain. The Chinese lady who runs the store stopped me and said, "no no no, I heal you. Natural, healthy living, werwy wewry healthy." She told me how she prays to god everyday because he lets her eat and drink healthy and she doesn't get sick. She proceeded to pull several powders and liquid droppers from the back of the store and made me some kind of herbal, holistic, magic potion healing tea. She said (and acted out) that I would drink this and then kick down the door on my way out because I feel so strong [imagine a little Chinese lady pretending to kick down a door, then posing like a body builder, arms in the air and flexing her biceps]. I am now drinking a $5 cup of tea that tastes like what I can only imagine the root of a lemon tree tastes like. Life is fun sometimes eh?

Connect

I'm finally returning to my (mostly) daily writing. I've been interrupted with a series of events, which have given me lots of time to think, and hopefully some of those thoughts will translate to this blog.

Today's post is about relationships - not the romantic kind, but more about general friendly and familial relationships we develop throughout our lives. Let me start, however, by talking about death. When someone in our life dies, we all have different ways of dealing with it. A very close member of my family passed away recently, and I had my share of tears, public and private. The emotional and physical exhaustion of grief can become too much, however. Though I am still saddened by the void in my life, I turn to the more pragmatic side of me to mourn my grandmother and honor her life. I have been reflecting on what I have learned from this person who helped raise me? How has she made my life better, and how can I use the same methods to make other people's lives better?

Love. That's what Gigi was really good at. She never missed an opportunity to start a friendship with someone she met along the way. It didn't matter what circumstance brought you into her life - if you were her florist, a Baroness who lived down the road, an in-law new to the family, an overworked CEO she met at a party, a realtor showing the house next door, a stubborn grandkid - she made time for you. She put aside her busyness, masked her physical pain, and brought a disarming smile to every conversation so that you could feel comfortable and loved while you were with her.

I used to be a lot like her in this way. I remember as a kid being full of affection for others, walking up to strangers and saying, "hey, how ya doin?" I know exactly where this openness came from. Yet, somewhere along the way, with work, life, school, stress, insecurity, I lost a lot of that. I suspect I'm not alone here. It's easy for us to get bogged down in ourselves, and forget that we are surrounded by people all yearning (though they may not admit it) for the same thing we are - a connection.

Some people reading this are going to have a cynic's view - "I have enough friends already." Others are going to say, "yeah I'm totally with you - I'll start next week." Well, I just don't believe the cynic, and I don't know if next week will even come. So, connect today, right now. Literally, go on facebook, or pick up the phone and contact someone you normally wouldn't. If it doesn't somehow make you or them smile, then let me know and I'll change that.

Snow Does NOT Challenge Global Warming. I Repeat...

The Washington Times ran an editorial thanking the snow gods for proving that global warming doesn't exist.

Is the Times totally mad? Yes. Well - pigheaded and stupid is more like it. Precipitation (moisture in the air) and Temperature (that thing that Al Gore says is rising) are completely different. We had a bunch of moisture coming up from the South recently, and because it's winter, that moisture turns into snow. If it were summer, it would be rain. Would the teabaggers be crying afoul then? Well - probably, and they'd be just as stupid. There's no link to Snowmageddon and Global Warming. Our winter has been roughly the same temperature as it was last year, just more precipitation.

Do facts mean anything over at the Times?

Ebbing

I didn't write this, but please, may it encourage all 5 of you who read my blog to live today for today.

It begins slowly. A birthday forgotten, glasses misplaced, a letter lost, a bill unpaid, car keys which keep vanishing, rules of a poker game confused, a deadline missed, a phone call un-returrned or returned twice, a dinner date kept - on the wrong night; clothes mismatched, names forgotten, friends ignored, messages mixed up, words elusive, old jokes told and re-told again and again and again as if for the first time.

Little things. Unimportant individually. But together they send a cruel message.

The mind is going away. Slowly. And the body is not far behind.

Falling? How did I end up tush over heels in the bath tub? Or in the window well? Nothing bruised or broken. Certainly wasn’t dizziness – just an isolated incident. Ignore it.

Driving? Where did that VDOT truck come from? I’m sure it wasn’t there when I pulled out of the driveway. Fortunately, we have another vehicle – didn’t really need the truck and no one was hurt. But… a trip to Costco or Harris Teeter, once a quick jaunt…has now become a challenge. Any drive beyond the confines of Middleburg becomes a question: “Is this really necessary”? (Local merchants who charge three times the normal price for everything are delighted !)

Fix a leak, repair a broken valve…replace a ceiling light bulb…kneel to pull weeds, plant bulbs, drive the tractor …such simple things…. once the pride of

manhood… now difficult, often impossible. Where did those abilities go? How

did they vanish seemingly overnight?

Entertaining. We were the “party people”. Loved giving dinners for friends; cocktail parties for a hundred (or more); Christmas or New Years? Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, welcome to the neighborhood? Come to our house! What fun they were, those parties of yesterday. Now even the thought of guests sends me spiraling. What to serve, who to invite, what flowers or favors or fun stuff can one produce when simply getting from the kitchen to the living room is a challenge? When living with pain becomes a daily reality.

“A” types don’t accept reality….they try to defy it. Until they can’t. How long can we pretend to ignore the creeping paralysis of mind and body? Push yourself, we say. Write that column, mow that lawn, attend that Benefit affair, call that friend, finish the project so long ignored, volunteer for the Church auction, and pray that no one notices those failing physical and mental frailities.

Find beauty in turning leaves and changing times. And bless those who make each day possible.

-AWB

Things are Changing

There's plenty to write about this week. DADT is all over the news, and top military leaders are calling for its repeal. Who can argue with an order from the top?

We're currently in two wars, and 3 American soldiers were just killed by a roadside bomb in Pakistan. Are we going to find ourselves in a third war? Scary thought huh?

AIG executives, again, find a way to swindle tax payers into paying for their yachts. And Obama won't grow a pair and stand up to them, citing "contract obstacles."

One of my "local banks" was closed by the FDIC, and asset control is now assumed by another local bank. I moved my money without even knowing it.

What does this all amount to? Things are changing - a lot.