Happy Lent

Lent began yesterday with Ash Wednesday, and even though I could not be considered a Catholic except for the infant baptism 27 years ago, I typically like to give something up, just for kicks. At the same time, it feels like another requirement deemed by the powers that be (The Vatican?) -- they tell us when to pray, when to celebrate, when to give stuff up. And that kind of makes me want to rebel and ignore lent altogether. Maybe it's that old habits die hard, or I'm still carrying around a little bit of that undying Catholic guilt. Anyway, this year, I have asked my class to give up tattling. That is, telling on another person when that person's action has no effect whatsoever on the teller. In that same vein, I am going to strive to give up gossiping: needlessly discussing the details of other people's lives and making outspoken judgements about them and their choices and behaviors. Otherwise, I feel that I am living a pretty moderate, disciplined life at the moment, so eliminating gossip is my only overt Lenten goal. Amen!