Lent Practice: Giving Up, Taking Up, and I Could Never Go Vegan

We are practicing Catholics.

And by practicing I mean in the way that Nathan practices T-ball: lacking in anything resembling excellence, but largely consistent and with enthusiasm.

After I converted to the Catholic church, Sarah Kate and I always observed Lent, but it wasn’t something we talked about a whole lot. Mr. Andi didn’t become Catholic until last Easter, so I made it a low-key affair because I didn’t want to push our “piety” in his face. She would give up Dr. Pepper or the Wii or some other such thing, and I would give up Dr. Pepper or email on my phone or something.

Last year, Mr. Andi was a candidate in RCIA, so he and I together became bold in our Lenten sacrifice: we gave up meat, not just on Fridays, but for the whole of Lent. We knew it would be tough, so we allowed ourselves the “Sunday exception”; we ate Five Guys burgers so many Sundays in a row (FEAST DAY!!!) that Sarah Kate complains about going there (Can you imagine???). Looking back, I’m amazed we were able to do it, because this year the meatless Fridays have been bad enough. But moving along to what I’m doing for Lent this year…

Giving up: buying things I don’t need

Although I’m the designated tightwad in an already frugal-ish family, that doesn’t stop me from purchasing things (usually small things) without much thought at Target or – even more tempting – through Amazon Prime with their two-day free shipping. The result is we, like many people, keep accumulating STUFF. I know everyone’s definition of “need” is different, so for an example of how this works for me in practice, if I I run out of shampoo, I’ll buy more, but I won’t try a new hair product. I exempted Kindle ebooks because they don’t take up space (although I am being much more intentional about what I buy, because I’m a sucker for $1.99 Kindle deals), but other than that…not buying unnecessary things until Lent ends.

You know what that means? NO Stitch Fix. 🙁

I love, love, love Stitch Fix (because I hate, hate, hate clothes shopping) and have been receiving a monthly Fix since I started. It was hard for me to push that next date out several weeks, especially since I could really use a new dress for Easter and a new handbag for the spring and summer. And I confess – I scheduled my next Fix for the end of Holy Week, knowing that means I won’t have to pay for anything I keep until Lent is over. (… My mother thought I’d be a lawyer when I grew up… I wonder why… 😉 ) I requested a dress in my next Fix, so I’m hoping for a home run because otherwise it’ll be something old (and all of my dresses are old!) for Easter this year. But if that happens? It’s okay, because I could USE a dress but I don’t NEED a dress.

What’s been interesting to me about this particular sacrifice is how pervasive my attitude is about buying things as soon as the thought pops into my head that I need it. Multiple times throughout the day I think of something I should buy, which is kinda crazy and embarrassing to admit. I wouldn’t have bought every one of them before Ash Wednesday 2016, but I would have bought more than I needed. What I’ve found, also, is that a few of the same things keep popping up, indicating those are things I actually shouldn’t feel bad about purchasing once Lent is over (just not upon waking Easter morning!). It’s a good rule of thumb for anyone: wait a few weeks to buy non-essentials to be sure they really are worth it.

Taking up: praying the Rosary every day

In the past, I didn’t really “get” the Rosary, despite the years Nathan napped to the nuns. So many prayers! So many mysteries! What goes on what day and what’s the order? I have no idea! I found a podcast, though, and tried it. The first week, I tried working it into my day after I had exercised and done A Few Other Things, but there were always More Things I needed to do to the point where I had to force myself to quit All the Things and just get to it. Sadly, I skipped it altogether the first weekend because I was lazy. After a few more halfhearted attempts, I realized that getting up early and doing it before I started my day was my best option.

But of course I am not a morning person. At all.

But I’ve been getting up, even though it is SO hard. Add in the fact that Nathan rose early quite a few mornings this past week before I was even halfway finished, and one of those mornings all three dogs decided 5:30 am was a fantastic time for Doggie WWE. It has not been the uninterrupted quiet time I had envisioned. 😉 But what I have found is that just having this time, dog wrestling and all, is worth the effort to lay the groundwork for the rest of my day. I just need to start getting to bed earlier so I don’t pass out cold on the couch by 7:30 on Friday night. Ahem…

Another thing I’ve started, which isn’t related to Lent, but dovetails nicely with my early morning Rosary, is to do Morning Pages. Morning Pages are (up to) three pages of my stream-of-consciousness thoughts written longhand on notebook paper first thing in the morning. I don’t know about you, but my brain needs a good cleaning on a regular basis, and writing those Morning Pages each day following prayers has made even the worst days less stressful and anxious. Bonus: freeing up my mind through free writing has helped me create a long list of future blog posts after a months-long drought. In the words of Flannery O’Connor: “I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.” Writing without a plan or purpose frees the thoughts that are buried in the recesses of my mind, hiding from the world.

Bonus: Meatless Meal Ideas

Bringing the Sunshine is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a cooking or food blog, but I thought there might be a few of you out there who need some meatless recipes to get you through the remainder of Lent, if you’re like me, or just some healthy meatless options for the good of your bod. Here are four that we’ve been enjoying:

Southern Living Tuna Casserole – Once, when I was around seven, I outlasted my mother in a battle of wills over eating my tuna casserole. This casserole is not that wretched stuff we wouldn’t eat as kids! My family loves this every time I serve it, which is year round. It’s naturally low calorie, but you can make it even more so by using lighter soups, fat free evaporated milk, and 2% cheese.

Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese – The family also gets excited when it shows up in the rotation, which, like the tuna casserole above, is year round. We have never, ever, ever had a single bite left over. Every time I cook it I say I need to double the recipe the next time…and then I forget.

Spinach, Feta & Artichoke Breakfast Bake – By itself, I would place this recipe in the category of “they like it okay” but with fresh homemade scones (especially if it’s these) they perk up considerably. Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits (made from the store-bought mix) are also a big hit, but not especially healthy (Boo!)

Subway Veggie Pizzas (Not the Flatizza) – Okay, so these obviously aren’t homemade but Mr. Andi and I ate them at least once a week last year. The trick is to have them add extra cheese and banana peppers. I’m not usually a veggie pizza fan, but the banana peppers make it. Trust me.

How will you spend the remaining 25 days of Lent? I’d love to know!