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<\/a><\/div>\nThe trouble is, I\u2019m already a very picky eater with a small appetite. My meals tend to be bread (or bagels or pasta) and seltzer with fruit on the side. My friend Tristyn knew this when she caveated her recommendation that I join her in her Orthodox fasting by saying \u201cGiven what a picky eater you are, I\u2019m not sure how much it would either cut out or leave you!\u201d<\/p>\n
I liked Julie\u2019s comment:<\/p>\n
For Lent, I usually give up sweets and peanut butter. Now, this may seem like a diet. It is not, and here\u2019s why: especially when I was playing lacrosse year-round, peanut butter was my staple food. I used to go through jars of it by the month in hs and college. Then it became a crutch food, and that\u2019s what sweets are to me too. By fasting from these foods, I create a discipline for myself. It\u2019s about the intent as much as the action. If I accidently eat something, that\u2019s okay. But if I give in to temptation, that\u2019s the problem. God isn\u2019t going to punish you for breaking your Lenten promises, but it\u2019s something we offer up for God to bring us closer to God through self-sacrifice.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I like the theme of Julie\u2019s recommendation, but food certainly isn\u2019t an area where I have crutches. If anything, I can be a little self-righteous about my own self control and independence from constraint, and that\u2019s what pushed me towards my actual idea: Over the period of Lent, I\u2019m going to make much more of an effort to eat with<\/em> people.<\/p>\n
I tend to treat meals as an unfortunate inconvenience, and, in the rush of midterms and senior essay deadlines, I\u2019ve spent an awful lot of time in my room. Over Lent, I\u2019m going to try be available to my friends and try to reconnect with some people who have dropped off the radar.<\/p>\n
To make sure I don\u2019t let this goal become about hitting a quota and satisfying myself (as I am wont to do<\/a>), I\u2019m not setting a target number of lunches or anything like that. I\u2019m just going to make an effort to be more available and other-oriented, which will be healthier for me and hopefully pleasant for the people I know.<\/p>\n
This will all have to go into effect after Spring Break ends in two weeks, since at home in the suburbs there\u2019s no one I could be trying to see. But once I get back to school, I\u2019ll try to reach out.<\/p>\n
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The other main thread of recommendations was prayer\/adoration\/biblical study. There were plenty of inventive suggestions, but I\u2019m going to pass them up, since given past experience, I don\u2019t think I\u2019m likely to take any of them on as a joyful discipline rather than a task to check off. I\u2019ll still be keeping up with the daily readings at The King and I<\/a>, and I\u2019ll try to go through the passages a little more slowly. I liked Michael\u2019s suggestion, and I\u2019ll adapt it as I see fit:<\/p>\n
I\u2019d suggest setting aside a certain amount of time per day (20-30 minutes) to read and ponder upon the book of scripture of your choice, considering what importance it would have to your life \u2013 what changes you would have to make \u2013 if you were to apply what it teaches.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n