No-Meat-Friday

It is Lent, and as most of you know, this is a time to "strip" away the distractions of our lives so that we can move closer to God.  Edie at Life in Grace wrote a wonderful post on the meaning of Lent here.

I think it's a beautiful purpose and time, and I am trying to find inspiration, but today I'm mostly just finding irritation.  Almost every year I try to eliminate a few of what I feel are my worst habits: Diet Pepsi, swearing, sugar, shopping, etc.  I also try to think about what I can DO instead of stop doing. 

This year is not much different.  May I present the usual suspects: 

This one is sooooo hard.  Relapse is part of recovery, right?!  One day, I won't have to give this up for Lent, because I won't be in it's clutches.

These represent all sweets.  Donuts, cookies, cake, candy, sugary cereal, all of it - LOVE it - and it is about as addictive as Diet Pepsi crack.  This year, I gave up sweets - except for birthday cake because it's just a cruel twist of fate that my birthday is ALWAYS smack dab in the middle of Lent.  So far, almost everyday has been birthday celebration.  I am failing.

And everyone abstains from meat on Fridays (except when they forget, and how come everyone except me manages to "forget").

What do I want today?  I wanted donuts for breakfast - with a side of diet pepsi... and now I want a giant cheeseburger and a Diet Pepsi for dinner.  And, of course, that is all I can think about, and it's making me a little cranky.  ARGH!! 

Is anyone else struggling?  If so, how are you coping? Any tips?

(The pepsi and burger pictures are just stock photos.  Ironically, the donut picture is one of mine.)