Deprivation, or Discipline? (On the occasion of Lent.)

No more glasses of this for awhile...

Or any of these...

I'm not Catholic, and yet, I go through this every year:  What to give up for Lent.  I think I'm obsessed with Lent because I am not someone overwhelmed by a sense of personal discipline.  In fact, I'm kind of lax--hedonistic, one might even say.  I'm not good at deprivation.  Lent seems like an opportunity to work on what is arguably a failing.  (Not that arguable, really.)

As is my custom, I had no problem feasting on Original Field Roast Grain Meat Company Apple Sage Sausage, homemade pancakes (from VwaV) with maple syrup, and tofu scramble (freestyle, lots of curry powder) with fresh pico de gallo and avocado cubes and spinach, along with a couple of homemade Hurricanes (orange juice, pineapple juice, lime juice, white rum, spiced rum, amaretto, strawberry syrup, angostura bitters) on Fat Tuesday.  (Sorry, I was festive without a camera.)

But then, I had to face the yearly dilemna:  What to give up.

I'm never very good at this.  I've tried unsuccessfully to give up sugar for 40 days oh...enough times to make me want to bake a batch of cupcakes to forget.  In fact, I don't think I've ever once been able to give up anything for Lent and make it all the way to Easter.  Not a very good track record, I guess, looking back on it.

Sheesh.

Every year, however, my health habits have gotten a little bit better.  That's why, this year, I've decided to try giving cane sugar and alcohol the boot.  For 40 days.  Until Easter.

DEFINITELY no more of these...

I chose cane sugar specifically for two reasons.  One, I eat too much of it.  Two, if I just said "sugar" and could not take occasional refuge in Rice Dream Pies or maple syrup, I would surely fail.  And I'm adding alcohol because I just can't take it like I used to, and I don't think it's doing me any favors.  It won't kill me to give it a 40-day rest.  As I told a friend the other day, I can have a chocolate martini on Easter, right?  It's not like it's forever. 

It's only going to feel like it.

Not even any of these...sigh...

So here is my pep talk to myself:

"I can do it!  Go Hungry Yogi!  You don't need no stinkin' sugar.  And the next time you cook something good, take a darned picture!"