Ash Wednesday is this Wednesday. What are you giving up for Lent?
I’m going to observe fasting during Lent. I’ll do the one meal plus two meals which don’t equal a meal this year.
I’m thinking of giving up soda, which may just be a copout because I drink very little already. Gotta think of something else…
What does this mean?
I thought about coffee, but I did that one year and it wasn’t pretty. I usually forget and do whatever I was going to give up anyway. Give up the Dope? That won’t do! Maybe JigZone, I waste alot of time there, too.
Are you doing this for all 40 days?
I will be observing fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. I will be abstaining from meat on Fridays.
I will be “giving up” ice cream and french fries.
I will be striving to include additional good works, “acts of kindness” so to speak during this time as well.
I give up meat for Lent, all through the season. That’s because I am a real carnivore at heart, and meat is the most difficult thing to avoid. It gives me plenty of opportunities to be reminded of the great sacrifice that was made for me.
You should see me attack the ham on Easter Sunday though!
I’m not giving anything up. I’ll go for my usual Lenten observance: trying to make it to early morning mass every day.
I try to step up my service.
I accept no money for babysitting. I do it for free, regardless of whether you can pay or not. If you insist on paying me, my homeless friend gets the money.
That’s the only thing I do officially, but I also try to help more around the house, volunteer for things at my school, make myself more bearable for my parents, not bitch if someone else wants to kick me off the computer, and generally just try to be kind.
I find it interesting that most people, when they “give up” something for Lent, they give up some sort of food item. Does it have to be a food item? I tend to think not.
That being said, I will probably give my my weekly McDonalds Sausage Biscuit with Egg breakfast sandwich.
In the past I have given up other things besides food, but the hardest one was the year I gave up dowloading (Of couse being a systems admin now, it would be almost imposible to do that this year.)
Food item, IMHO, is the easiest thing to give up for a little while.
Personally, I always resolve to give up chocolate and fail miserably. This year I’m praying (heh) I’ll succeed.
Tentatively: Television.
A couple of years ago I decided to do housework uncomplainingly for Lent. It was a good choice. Last year I cut down on complaining.
This year my husband and I are giving up all eating out and fast food, which is pretty big, because we both eat out two to four times a week. I’m also going to observe Friday fast, and try to switch us over to semi-vegetarian. I’m going to try to give up spending money frivously. I’ll also do daily rosary and start reading the psalms daily.
I thought about giving up the internet, but that would be less practical, because I do all my baking and bill-paying online.
I’m fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and abstaining from meat on all Fridays of Lent – observance of these is one of the precepts of the Church.
And I believe I will give up card-playing (both blackjack and poker, argh!) and liquor during Lent.
I’m giving up meat also. I’ll also fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday as is my tradition. I think we mostly give up some type of food or drink because those things are so common in our lives we have to be conscious of giving them up.
Anybody else planing on a big ol’ sausage and pancake feast tomorrow night? To me, Shrove Tuesday means lots of sausage and pancakes for supper. I guess I grew up on too many church suppers.
Lissla Lissar - I usually give up eating out (including lunches, which is really hard) and donate the money I save to the local soup kitchen. Right now I’m not eating out anyway, because I’m unemployed.
I like the idea of abstaining from meat for the entire season. I could probably do that except for a couple obligatory family dinners. My mother would be upset. I’ll add the rosary each night. I used to pray the rosary every night but got out of the habit. Time to pick it up again.
I’d also like a good lenten book to read. Does anyone have a suggestion? Anything from a daily devotional to the life of a saint.
StG
Abstinence.
As my atheist friend used to say: Jesus 
What about giving up Lent for Lent? or would that cause a logical paradox and cause the universe to implode?
As a former Catholic, I’m copy catting the 2 above.
Hey, that’s what I was gonna say.
Tentatively: the SDMB :eek:
I am going to try to eat three meals a day. I know that sounds funny, but my normal MO is to not eat much during the day and then binge at night. Eating more often and more sparingly is more healthful and keeps me mindful of what I am up to. And I will cut out completely empty calories like those delicious diner cruellers.
For Fat Tuesday: I am hoping a friend will be available to go out to dinner for steak/burgers and ice cream sundaes 