This year, Lent, Ramadan and Chinese New Year all happened within 24-hour period of each other, making the middle of February a very spiritual time indeed!
For me, as someone who has been trying to get closer to his faith this is the second year, I have decided to take on the 40-day tradition of Lent.
By virtue of Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) taking place before Lent. This day marks the ultimate time to feast and indulge, which I definitely did by consuming mountains of maple syrup-covered pancakes.
In contemporary times, Lent has become a popular way to maintain a healthy lifestyle, with many people wanting to give up the little luxuries, such as confectionery or takeaways.
Last year, I decided to try Lent with the cliché of giving up takeaways, and by no stretch of the imagination or my willpower was it easy, considering I was normally used to having one takeaway a week.
This year, I have decided to take on multiple abstinences from a health and lifestyle perspective.
To better my health, I have been determined to give up all forms of social smoking and vaping as someone who is tempted from time to time to indulge in sharing a tab or puff of a vape, when out drinking with friends.
This is something I am determined to put an end to outright because if I don’t do it sober, I should avoid doing it after having a drink. To ensure I can fulfil my Lent aspirations, I have drilled it into to all my friends not offer me any cigarettes or vapes at any cost.
When considering how to better my lifestyle, I was thinking of what I could do to save money. Unfortunately, I had to come to terms with the fact that giving up drinking alcohol would be rather difficult, given how I am a student who is partial to a pub trip. Moreover, I am Irish, and St. Patrick's Day takes place during Lent…
Therefore, I decided to place a ban on buying meal deals or getting a takeaway. Since there is a Co-op on campus, I am aware that the ban on meal deals is going to be incredibly tough, but I am determined to fight the cost of convenience and instead bring my own home-cooked food to university every day.
When it comes to not purchasing a takeaway, this is something that I came so close to completing last year, until my grandparents forgot about my Lent pledge and surprised me with a Chinese takeaway when I went back home for Easter. So, this year I determined to complete my goal at all costs, even if it means I must refuse a tempting offer.
So far, I won’t lie, it has been difficult to maintain my Lent sacrifices, especially considering I have thrown myself into the deep end on multiple levels. I regrettably have had a lapse of judgement.
When was in London last week, I caved-in and bought a meal deal at King’s Cross station before getting my train back to Newcastle.
Alas, I fear I could not have gone without any form of dinner before my train back to Newcastle, and I, for one, was not for spending an arm and a leg on a restaurant meal.
In retrospect, it is normal to sometimes give in to temptations during Lent, and if you do, just use the blip in your behaviour as motivation to ensure you can fulfil the boundaries you have set for Lent!
Here is to hoping that I can make it out the other side, proud not to have broken my Lent again…