Fast Break

OK, so my first real attempt at sacrificing for Lent ended early, but I still consider it a decent success.

I have had plenty of time to consider my own "sacrifice" (giving up eating out?... are you serious?), comparing it to the sacrifice of Christ. There is no comparison, really. I had to plan ahead, think things through, and work around my eating routine. For me, things went fairly smoothly over all. Nothing compared to giving up your life in an effort to save the souls of all humanity.

Last Thursday came the "friends" birthday party of my nine year old son. I intended to grab a couple frozen pizzas at Walmart while I was out shopping for party favors. I forgot. By the time I remembered, kids were piling off the bus, ready to pah-tay. I've discovered how easy it is for my loved-ones to justify any little discrepency in my original plans... "oh, pizza delivery isn't eating out... you'll all be eating it here at home!" Yeah, whatever. I ordered the pizzas and never looked back.

This past weekend, I chaperoned a Girl Scout trip to Massachusetts with Kate's troop. I knew there was going to be a lot of eating out, so I planned accordingly... I packed crackers, peanut butter, nuts, snacks, a water jug. And, I ate out every chance I got. Well, the fast had already been broken.

So, here's the deal. I figure four weeks is almost as good as five. It's four more than I've ever lasted before! And I have become keenly aware of how eating out affects my life in so many ways... This past month I've stayed home more than ever, knowing I can't just grab something to eat while we're out running errands. Also, because we've had more home-cooked suppers, I've had to rely more on the kids to help out in the kitchen... and now my kitchen looks better than ever!

I wish I had kept better records of the times I've wanted to eat out, just to know if I've actually saved any money. And, just for the record, I don't think I've necessarily lost any weight, so maybe there's a chance that at least my eating out habits are relatively healthy (or contrariwise, my eating in habits are equally unhealthy). Anyway, it was a learning experience for me, and you'll be the first to know if it permanently affects the way I live my life.