Gonna Need the Force for This One

Ah, Lent. That distinctly Catholic time of the year where meat looks that much more delicious (because you can't have it :p Isn't that so much like the rest of life? LOL). Now I was never the type--and I don't say this proudly, I'm just stating a fact--to participate particularly in the rituals of Lent. Fasting, abstinence, sacrifice, penitence, all those things--my family aren't exactly strict followers. We're more the kind of people who, while heartily eating pancakes and bacon, stop in mid-swallow to say, "Oh crap. It's Friday?"

It's not a nice thing, I suppose. Every year, though, I try to make some kind of Lenten sacrifice; a personal abstinence of sorts. Usually it's something inane or diet-friendly, like no rice, or no soda, or no cursing. And more often than not I don't get through the forty days. I'll end up at a party and I can't really drink vodka unless it's with Sprite or Mountain Dew or something, and well, there goes the sacrifice. Some sacrifice.

 

Old-school Master Yoda, I wanna be more like you! From blogs.fayobserver.com.

 

But this year, I want to do something different. I feel like I have been so insanely, incredibly blessed--to the point that it's really hard to ask for much more, to be anything but humbly grateful for everything I've been given. So I want to do a real sacrifice, something that takes real effort and brings real positivity to myself and to others. I have therefore decided to do a Yoda and give up anger for forty days and forty nights.

Sounds easy, you might say. Well, it isn't for me. The NO-ANGER rule shall apply to annoying family members, to people who merit some backbiting (admit it, you know at least five people who do! :p and if you don't...well, wow, you're a nice person, good job), to situations involving road rage (and oh that's gonna be tough), and to rude people. I will do my best to exhibit Jedi-like qualities such as patience, perseverance...and yeah, all that stuff. I will abide by Yoda's famous and cliched quote: "Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering..."

So yeah. I'm swearing off anger starting tomorrow. Please serve as witness. Time to be nice. :)