This Girl still Just Wants to Have Fun

Today is the first day of the rest of my life! ~ but then again so is every single day! and to be honest there's nothing particularly special about today. For me it is day when I won't be working as I am taking the day off to get my hair done; something I haven't actually managed for nearly a year now, I opened the door this morning to the post man and realised that as my Mother would have said, I looked like the Wreck of the Hesperus. My hair was all over the place and has now got to the length when I either have to have it cut or join a 70s rock band.

None of this has anything to do with what I sat down to write about though, during my prolonged convalescence I have had little to do except sit round watching bad daytime TV ~ sure I did manage some playing but quite often the day after I did anything I was so washed out the next day would turn into a duvet day. Apart from getting fat, idle and unfit this also led to me drinking far too much ~ maybe not unlinked to the getting fat bit ~ I have realised that once again my relationship with alcohol is getting unhealthy. Rather than cut down I have once again decided to fast from booze for Lent.   For me Lent is very much a time to think about, and work on relationships, primarily my relationship with God, and my relationship with Earthly pleasures. Don't get me wrong! I still plan to have fun, but it's more about who is in control of these relationships, in both cases I fear they may have slipped in the wrong direction.

For some time I have been aware that I have been drinking too much, but thought I was OK, I could handle it ~ after all I wasn't drinking Vodka for breakfast! but it's more complicated than that, I have to ask myself am I really in charge of my relationship with Booze? can I still have fun without a drink? and am I damaging my other relationships through my drinking? By the end of Lent I will be able to answer these questions differently ~ I hope.

Lots of Christians will be giving stuff up for Lent, most Churches have a tradition in one form or another of fasting, and most will also be following Jesus' advise in Matthew 6:16

"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.

If one of your Christian friends who normally enjoys a chocolate biscuit, a drink or a slice of cake, please don't push them, they may just be fasting and don't really want to mention it, I will be trying to carry on as normal, just not carrying a pint of IPA.