It's a legitimate question, really.

Google Image!

It was Fat Tuesday, yesterday. I was reminded by the only hard rock radio station in P-town, which is only fitting. Mardi Gras is a celebration of plenty that much of the world, Catholic or not, takes part in. The shining beads, the funny cake, the drinking- a giant blowing off of steam early in the year when the other holiday (valentines) is rather exclusive and not prone to the kegger-style excess.

I bought myself a book.
I'd say it was for Fat Tuesday, but really, I bought the book because I wanted it, because buying it was the same amount that I'd pay for gas to go borrow my friend's copy, because I get a sick little joy in my heart from having a copy of a book. I like the exclusivity of my three 6 foot bookshelves. I like being able to take my books into the bath, to leave them lying around face down, to dog-ear the pages that I want to whisper to myself when I'm home alone.
It's a lovely book. If you haven't read Patrick Rothfuss, you should. It'll take you some time, but it's worth all several thousand pages to work your way through The Name of the Wind and A Wise Man's Fear.

Image de la Google.

Lent, the forgotten reason for the mardi gras celebration, started today. I didn't go to mass. I'm not Catholic, and I barely have time to function as a normal human being any day of the week. I know God understands my predicament. I'm still in love with the idea of Lent, even if I'm not going to church to share the experience. A whole 40 days, set aside as a social time for the betterment of self, should be more trans-religion than mardi gras. Isn't that the point of any religion, to have rules for being the best person you can be, no matter what customs you follow?

But alcohol and cake is a little more acceptable to the world at large. Cake and alcohol is easy.

And usually far tastier than whatever it was that you just gave up for Lent.(Though, you don't have to give anything up. You can add things to your life. The whole time is just set aside for personal development.)
I have a friend who's given up facebook, a friend who's given up coffee, some who will only drink coffee and water (nothing else), some who are going to exercise three times a week, friends who give up sugar, who give up...whatever it is that's holding them back.  Or add, whatever they think will enrich their life.

January resolutions are great and all, but just seeing if it's possible to do something for 40 days feels a little easier. I like deadlines. I can do almost anything for 40 days. There are some things that just won't fly, like giving up my chocolate or coffee. There are some things that I can't promise myself, like working out. (ask me sometime how it feels to bleed for just about 30 days straight. There's some anemia you just can't lift weights on, and nothing to be done about it other than to wait for new blood to be made.) There are some things that I'm not ready to do- 40 days of silence, 40 days of fasting, 40 days of not reading for fun, 40 days of waking up at 4:30, 40 days of a lot of other things.

This year, because I can't imagine taking anything else away from my life, I'm adding. This year, for forty days, I'm going to meditate once a day. And maybe write about what I find. I'm not giving myself a time limit. If I only get a minute in, great. I don't want to judge myself for not living up to some imaginary number that I've got as the perfect amount of meditation. I would like to cultivate peace and stillness in my life, if only for a minute or so a day. I found the image below, and I would like to feel like that greeting.

Image courtesy of Google.

What can you do in 40 days?