I prayed for one errant semi-truck and a swift, painless, death.
Day 1 of Lent: No smoking for 24 hours, and counting.
For those who are unaware, Lent commemorates the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert, fasting and being tempted by the devil (Luke 4:1-13). Lent, as observed by Catholics, begins on Ash Wednesday (February 25th, this year) and lasts for forty days, excluding Sundays, and ends the Saturday before Easter Sunday (this site offers a decent explanation of the tradition for those who care to learn more).
I’ve insisted for four years now that I am not physically addicted to cigarettes, that I just use smoking as an emotional crutch. It may be time to revise that statement: I am, in fact, addicted and I use smoking as an emotional crutch. It is time that I acknowledge to myself that just because I haven’t smoked heavily does not mean the physical aspects of addiction haven’t affected me. That being said, I have mainly used smoking as a way to deal with stress, or, more precisely, to not deal with stress. I’m hoping that, as time passes this will become easier, and I’m definitely looking forward to being healthier, both physically and emotionally.
Although I am not religious, I have chosen to observe Lent this year because I believe there is value in asceticism. Since the earliest recorded histories, humans have engaged in fasting and other forms of self-deprivation as a means of accessing spiritual realms, pleasing the gods, or, very simply, to become more self-aware. My choice to observe Lent is deeply personal and of my own volition as I have no religious obligation to do so. By depriving myself of a physical pleasure, which I have relied on as an opiate for emotional pain, I hope to both strengthen and heal my mind.
“If the whole complex lives of many people go on unconsciously, then such lives are as if they had never been lived at all”
-Leo Tolstoy