Lent

Quite the traditionalist, Jim likes to give things up for Lent. Okay, maybe “likes to” isn’t quite the right phrasing, but I digress. This year he gave up sweets (not the most original, but admirable nonetheless). Better yet, he is also GETTING RID of 40 things, mostly from our bottomless pit basement! Oh my happy heart!

And moi? I have decided to give up soda pop. I don’t know why, but it’s embarrassing for me to admit I even drink pop. But mmmm boy I love me some Jones Strawberry Lime Soda. And also fountain Coke. Mostly for the ice and fizz. And let’s not forget the beautiful caffeine.

However, more important than all that, this year I decided to see how many troops I can rally to do good deeds during the 40 days. So I started a little challenge for my yoga students called 40 Days of Selfless Giving. The idea stemmed from an article I read in Yoga Journal about a woman who was challenged by her spiritual mentor to give a daily gift intentionally over a span of 29 days — (e.g. “a pretty shell to a child building a sandcastle, money to a person on the street, a word of cheer to a friend…” Apparently it worked out quite well for her as it spawned a famous book and blog and whole movement, really. So I’ve put a similar challenge out there (the details are available via download from my website) and I’m prodding people daily through Facebook to find out what they’re giving. It started out really rough, mainly because I don’t think people quite got it. But it’s catching on, sure enough. And I would be so honored if you would join in too!

Can I get 40 daily givers? Time will tell. But tick tock, the clock is ticking.

PS. If you want to join in the fun, just “become a fan” of Soul Stretch through the Facebook link above and comment on my post every day to share the spirit. Easy, yes?