22 February 2010

It sounds so hokey...

...but I'm giving up NEGATIVITY for Lent. Through the amazing power of Facebook, I got the idea through a friend at church, who had posted the idea to another friend (well, my daughter's friend). Initially, I joked that I was going to give up exercise. There's one problem with that. I would've actually had to have been exercising to give it up. I was thinking about sugar. Processed foods. Really, my only real "vices" are food (well, too much food), being a complainer and being lazy. Working on all of these is a goal of every day life. However, I never realized just how hard it is to look upon your day in a positive way all the time. Sure, you have good days. We all do. However, we all have some really crummy days. It's not about being a Pollyanna, but realizing something is unfortunate is one thing. Dwelling on it is another.

For instance, my husband just discovered that our AC/Heating unit outside is making a horrible noise. He checked it out, and it's nothing major, but he can't fix it until he gets home from work. Just a couple of screws loose. (He married me, so he has experience with this sort of thing!) It wasn't noticed yesterday, but yesterday the heat never came on. It was 50something degrees all day. It happened when it was in the 30s. So, we're going to be cold today. It's not ideal, but think about how blessed I am to have to only deal with ONE day of cold. I'm not homeless. I'm not living in some part of the country (or the world) where they are experiencing subzero temperatures. Sometimes we can take these things to realize just how blessed we are.

It's going to snow tomorrow. Really, I want to whine and cry about it, but really? This will be the third snow this winter. We got record snowfall earlier in the month at 12". We don't live in Maryland (where some great friends live) where a measly foot of snow would've been great in comparison. Also, I live in Texas where the weather changes more often than I change my socks. (Hey! When I wear socks, I change them daily! You shush!) It was warm this weekend. I haven't looked at the weather, but I'm sure it will be warm again, soon.

So... Positivity it is. I'm going to be *that* person. I'm sure I won't always succeed, but it's constantly in the back of my mind to be thankful instead of sad.

Maybe I'll also work on that whole "giving up laziness" thing too. What? More surprising things have happened!

As an aside, I looked up the LCMS (Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod) stance on giving up something for Lent. I knew it wasn't a requirement. We are not required to fast either. Just for curiosity. I've been a "Missouri Scented Lutheran" (as my husband would say) for about 6 years. I started attending regularly after my husband and I married, and I was baptized the very same day as both of my daughters (April 25, 2004). I'm still learning. (More than that, I'm a follower of Christ. This denomination seems to be the one I feel makes the most sense theologically, but really, it's all about my walk with my

No comments: