Lent

So tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the start of the season of Lent. Over the years I have occasionally given up something or decided on some way to deepen my spiritual practice, but never with much consistency and without much thought, either. This year is going to be a little different, though. I have actually put a lot of thought into ways that I think I can grow in my faith and in my life, and ultimately be a better person.

In thinking about my fast from sin, I have decided that I will give up negativity. I know, pretty broad, right? I've put a lot of thought into what this should look like. What I've come up with is that though I know I can't prevent every negative thought bubble from popping in my head, I can control what I do with that negativity. I will either change it into a positive, or banish it altogether. What I will not do is let it spill out of my mouth or spew onto my Facebook status. I will strive to not be so hard on myself or on other people. I will not be worrying about anything to the point of obsession and sleepless nights.

I'm a book-ish sort of person, and so, of course, I've been doing some research on how to become more positive. I've found interesting articles on using imagery to imagine the positive funneling into the top of your head and filling your body as the negative is pushed out of your fingertips and toes. And there's always the tried-and-true method of making a point to notice the good. With that in mind I will be working in my art journal every day during Lent, and will focus only on things I am grateful for. I expect this will be easy at first as I cover the biggies, like my children, my husband, pets, house, etc. Then I'll have to get creative.

So that's my big Lenten practice this year, and then I plan on doing some other small things. I want to treat my body better with food that is good for me and more exercise, but I'm intentionally leaving these ideas only half-formed. I want to put most of my energy into being positive. I also plan on spending the first couple of days of Lent off from work doing some self-reflection and house-cleaning (and visiting the Old Book Sale downtown!).

Who knows? Perhaps by the end of this season of Lent, I will have grown in my faith and become a better person!