A friend of mine asked on FB a couple weeks ago whether someone wanted to take on the challenge of giving up something for Lent. While I am not \u00a0religious, I am very much about reflection and challenging oneself. So, I said that I was in. So for a while I will be giving up sweets and drinking beverages that are not water.<\/p>\n
From an outsider perspective, it seems to me that Lent is in part about mindfulness. Obviously abstinence\/restraint\/sacrifice is a key element, but to me, what is the point of sacrifice without mindfulness. Because this is not symbolic of faith for me, yet I am borrowing from a tradition that is very important to those who practice, \u00a0I want to be respectful in my approach for this challenge. For me, this is about paying attention to the way that I treat my body. I am fortunate enough to be healthy, and I am grateful for that. I exercise regularly. I try to eat well. I make getting enough rest a priority.<\/span><\/p>\n However, I am uncomfortable with my coffee-drinking habits. And one area where I could use more mindfulness and more restraint is where it comes to sweets. These are things that could use improvement. I think that a part of respecting your body is treating it well. This is something that I hope to pass on, by example, to my son.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"