I’ve given up soda for Lent. So far I’ve succeeded. I was tempted at lunchtime of the first day to consider a Diet Coke to be, ‘pop,’ but I cannot stand that word unless it is immediately preceded by, ‘snap,’ and, crackle.’ Also, it is not ‘lunch’ unless it involves Valerie, Cindy, Ashley or a combination of the three: I don’t enjoy it without them so why not skip the soda? If I can live without my friends then perhaps I can live without other things that make me happy like bicycles and diet soda. I can do anything through Christ who strengthens me and during Lent we commemorate a time when Jesus went without not just Diet Coke, but the entire extra value meal. I am sure I can go without soda for forty days – but if you’re calling to ‘pop’ I am judging you. I am not giving that up; forget about it.
Likewise, I am to take on a burden during Lent. I have decided that I am going to take on the burden of being as awesome as Leah Monster. Now, I realize that I cannot be as awesome as Leah Monster but I can attempt it and it is the effort I grade on as much as end result. I would articulate her awesomeness but during my current melancholy she has been a cool breeze in Hell. I have many good friends but she is one of the few that doesn’t change the subject, drop the call, or have a friend beep in when I need someone to talk to and she’s the one of the fewer who understands what I’m saying, or gives me that impression. Also, she is in a band.
Normally, when someone tells me they are in a band I look upon with the same pity that you look upon someone who recently had their iPod stolen or their dog has died. Leah Monster is an amazing band that I think plays Jazz and does public, impromptu concerts: they bring their art to you if you want it or not. It is a symptom of a larger dynamic in Leah Monster that she lives life on her own terms, makes things work, and doesn’t sweat it. She’s found her secret to happiness. Each person has his or her own and this is what makes my burden so difficult. In order to be awesome like her I have to find what makes me happy and pursue it (I already have the life and liberty secured).
Giving up soda? That’s hard; it is something I love dearly. I run on Diet Coke and Evil. What is going to be harder is to pursue what Leah Monster does in her awesomeness – which would be to fulfill her obligations as a friend and do what makes her happy (and in a way that doesn’t hurt other people). One of the qualifiers that I have for giving up something for Lent is that it is something that I shouldn’t do after Lent, or in some cases less often, and the other qualifier I have for the burden I take on is that it should be something that I continue to do after Lent. I feel like I’m setting my self up for an, ‘epic fail,’ but that remains to be seen. My friend Enzo, who is agnostic, would probably tell me that giving things up for Lent is arbitrary but he’d agree that making an endeavor toward self-improvement in a time frame is an acceptable way to avoid other drudgery. Enzo reads this so I can talk smack about him.
Talking smack and talking crazy are two things I will never, ever give up. I am having a hard enough time with the Diet Coke.
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