Lent...


Every year, for lent, I decide to give up something. I have been thinking what will be this year. I have chosen a tangible thing, and a "behaviourial" thing.

I am giving up candies. Sometimes I have them during the day, when I am waiting for lunch, or bored. Besides being bad for my teeth, I have noticed they give me stomach trouble. Plus, all the sugar makes me hungrier than I need to be.

And, I'll try to give up gossip. I have a colleague who is very difficoult to "contain", and sometimes she just drags me into conversations I don't really want to have. Today, for example, she started asking me if the man I am seeing is jealous of other men. She was asking question after question about him because she was curious to have some details - which I don't really want to share with anyone at work. I just stopped her by saying she was embarassing me with our other colleagues...
And she starts commenting about other people's life, which are really none of our business...
I really want to stay away from all this, and I have to learn some graceful ways to drop out of such conversations.

On a nother note: the example before really demonstrates the theory that the less you share, the more people become curious and interested in you. But I shall mantain my mystique. Which could be lent resolution number three.

That same colleague asked me if I wanted something in exchange for giving up stuff (from God, I suppose she meant). I said - not really, I am not asking for anything.
I realize I have so much to be grateful for, I have no right to ask for more!!!

Comments

Ilona said…
To refrain from gossip is such a beautiful interpretation of lent. Gossip can make people unhappy so easily - of course, those that are talked about, if there are rumours resulting, but sometimes also those who find themself entangled in conversations and realize later that they somehow got carried away to saying things they didn't want to.

I love the answer you gave your colleague. I think if a religious tradition is worth following, than it's worth doing so for it's own sake, because one can see sense in it and understands it to have a positive effect which is its own 'reward'.
March 11, 2011 at 11:00 AM
Kate said…
I always respond that my giving something up for lent is a sacrifice that I willingly give in order to reflect on what really matters.

As for the gossip...I think a good way is to say a straight forward and to the point, "I really prefer to not talk about my relationships with other people." Honestly, it's none of her business and if she doesn't get that you don't change it, you just repeat it.
March 12, 2011 at 11:42 PM
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