OH! LENT! Today is the start of Lent, that is frigging awesome! I’ve just been sitting here this morning ruminating over things and while I’m not Jewish, having Lent start today goes along really perfectly with some of the things that have been bugging me the last little while.
So, the idea is to give up something(s) from your life or diet for 46 days (correct me if I’m wrong). I think that whatever you give up is supposed to be something you like or value so that you can know personal sacrifice. It’s supposed to be something that you’ll notice missing for this time (no sense giving up drinking pop if you only have one Coke a month) and I believe it’s complete abstinence. I imagine chocolate and alcohol are probably fairly popular ones!
I’m not really that excited about Lent as far as giving anything up, although I should probably put the boots to sugar (as per usual!). I’m more looking forward to it because it’s one of those cool “lines in the sand” that come up as the year progresses. First is New Years, we all know how that one goes, then Lent, spring, the transition into back to school. All seem like natural times of refresh and renew and I’m totally going to use this one to try and clear some stuff up.
I have this haze of unhappy right now. I’ve made a huge commitment that’s going to start coming to fruition in the next couple of weeks and it’s totally throwing me. Paralyzing me with fear and inaction, actually. As completely idiotic as that sounds when I read it back, it’s the truth and I should have seen it coming. Fear of failure, fear of the unknown, fear of change and however crazy, fear of success.
So when you’re existing in a quicksand filled with fear, how do you get out and get going and let go of “safety” and leap into the abyss, come what may, fuck fear, embrace success, shout your own value from the rooftops? It’s so odd that I’m asking myself (and you guys!) this question because someone just asked it of me last week. Tomorrow is the 5 year anniversary that I quit smoking and the 5½ish year anniversary that I lost nearly 100 pounds and changed my life. HOW? I had absolutely nothing to lose. Nothing. I was fat and extremely unhealthy, depressed and dejected, alone and with no spark. There’s nothing to fear when all is already lost.
I feel like I should know how to power through and fight dragons and shatter fear like it’s a fragile vase. But….I don’t. Obviously. Time is ticking away from me and I’m still sitting here. Unmoving. Frozen. Sinking in the quicksand. I know what I want, I can see it. I know how to get it. It IS what I want (in case you’re thinking that I’m trying to force myself to want something that I really don’t).
I’m not unique, just in the last week I’ve read posts with people struggling in the same way:
http://thebigcityfarmgirlblog.wordpress.com/2013/02/11/motivation-for-monday-stop-self-sabatoge/
http://myinnerbovine.wordpress.com/2013/02/05/tearing-down-the-wall/
These two in particular really resonated with me. Women, having powerful internal struggles. FEAR!
WHY are we so scared of ourselves? WHY do we fear our success? Why do we crush the little seedlings of happy and success with the rusty, enormous fear hammer? How do otherwise smart and successful and confident women eradicate the fear that brings us down?
How do I do it? How do I move towards change, towards the future, towards the unknown? How do I arrest fear and set free my own forward motion?
I realize that this is probably not exactly what “Lent” had in mind, giving up wine for 40 days would definitely be easier than this. I’ve always been stopped here. Always. When I was fat I was stopped here. Now that I’m not fat, I’m still stopped here. I’ve often had other focuses and distractions….but here…..is where I’m stuck.
I really don’t want to be stuck here anymore.
Fitty vs Fatty 