To the Editor:
The day before Lent begins is called Mardi Gras, which means Fat Tuesday in French. Some sources call it Shrove Tuesday or Shrive Tuesday, meaning “to confess.” According to my Internet source, Mardi Gras has been around for some time, having been observed long before Europeans came to America.
During the six weeks of Lent, it is customary to give up a favorite food item or habit.
It gives some of us a second chance for self-improvement if we failed to keep our New Year’s resolutions.
Perhaps giving up smoking is a good idea, if only for six weeks. I worked for a man who tried, repeatedly and unsuccessfully, to stop smoking.
His wife thought it was admirable of him to keep trying because at least for the week or ten days he was able to do so, he did not smoke and she felt that was a plus (as it was).
If you have a habit of cursing fellow motorists who don’t jump the minute the light changes, maybe you could refrain from doing that and find after six weeks it does not bother you as it once did.
Partly personal, as Paul Harvey used to say, I have given up many things over the years because of an inability to carry on or because they just don’t appeal to me any longer.
Denying oneself things one no longer craves is no sacrifice.
About the only thing left for me to give up is my computer, where I can find answers to just about anything on the Internet. Plus being able to send and receive emails.
Sorry. That is one thing I won’t give up. I hear that familiar “pling,” and I drop what I’m doing. But that is my choice. It is not like the insistent ringing of the telephone demanding my immediate attention.
Remember those annoying phone calls during the recent political campaign? A message by email sits there until I choose to read it. And if I do not choose to read it, a tap of the delete key and it’s gone. Much more sensible.
There are those who think fitted sheets and sliced bread are among the greatest inventions in the world. Not I. The ability to send and receive emails gets my vote.
I know – I’ll give up watching football. I knew I’d think of something.
Mil Misic
DeKalb
