Giving something up for Lent has never been a big favorite of mine. There are, of course, obvious reasons why I didn’t enjoy it as a kid which usually meant giving up candy, soda, or deserts. But as I’ve gotten older it’s been harder for me to find something to sacrifice that really did what it was supposed to, which is to remind me of what Easter is about and the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. Well, this year has been different. Before Lent, I kept trying to come up with something to give up, but I could only really come up with one idea, which I really didn’t want to do. I don’t have too hard of a time giving up small things and I have a hard time sticking to things that aren’t regimented. Soon enough it was Fat Tuesday and I was out of time and only had one idea that really seemed like it would be difficult enough to matter and regimented enough that I would be forced to stick to it. So what did I give up?
I gave up driving to work and traded in my 4 wheels (truck) for 2 wheels (bike). That’s right, no more jumping into the truck and zipping off to work in the morning. Now it is roll out of bed a little earlier, pack clothes for the work day, pack breakfast and lunch (which can add quite a bit of weight), and then throw on some athletic clothes and hop on the bike. I’ve got a nice route to work which is about half trail and the other half on a quiet neighborhood street. It is right at 3 miles one way so it really isn’t that far, but it seems a lot farther as I’m rolling out of bed. I’ve even biked when it has been raining and sloppy muddy this week. (I do shower at work at our fitness center.) Since going to work isn’t really something that I can ignore the regiment has worked out, but I’ll be honest, I didn’t blog about it earlier because I did wonder if I had bitten off more than I could chew. Especially the first week, since it had been a while since I’ve riden my bike and my behind took a good week to adjust to being back in the saddle. After biking to work this morning, running hills for a lunch workout, and then our first game in the 3-on-3 basketball league at work which Jenny and Olivia came to watch, I did catch a ride home with them. That just means the bike is left at work and I’ve got to lace up the running shoes tomorrow morning.
So as my Godson & nephew Ben asked, "Is it Easter yet?", I’m with you man.
