This is a very real and meaningful religious season for me and has been for a few years. This year I observed strict fasting which for me included no meat (although I did have a piece of salmon two different nights) no dairy, no cooking with oil etc. For me this lasted close to fifty days. The first and last week of lent I just drank water, watered down juice, or water with fresh squeezed lemon juice and a tiny bit of pure maple syrup added to it.
It had been interesting, especially the strict weeks restricted to water and juice. One of the things I learned was how often I use food as a reward or motivator as well as a stress response and how difficult it is to do this on your own. A pleasant minor side effect was some weight loss (20+ pounds)
This year I also for the first time gave up using a bath towel to dry off (partly lent-partly Systema work) after showers restricting myself to using small hand towels to dry. Part to work my shoulders and part to remember physically what the season is to me spiritually.
With the limited meals I saved a lot of time and was able to get a bit more reading done which I enjoyed and saved a bit of coin as well. The money saved I was going to send to Japan but kept it local instead. So many people and countries were donating time and money to Japan that my $500.00 would not make a difference, but to a small shelter it can hopefully make a difference.
Regards
Brian King
