Adding to Multiply Happiness and Connection

Happy Fat Tuesday!  This of course means the Christian world is about to embark on the Lenten season.  I’m not a Christian, but I do love this religious season for its call to sacrifice, devotion, and focus.  A few years ago a good Catholic friend and I were talking, and she had decided she wasn’t going to give something up for Lent, instead she was going to DO something every single day.  I loved the idea of adding something of value to my life as well, so we headed off to conquer the days, her reciting the Rosary every morning and me chanting every day.  It was a wonderful experience that brought me closer to G-d.

After giving it some thought I decided to invoke this practice again this Lenten season.  I tend to be someone who with good intentions gets in over her head with my commitments.  My mind swirled with all the things I wanted to add.  I started to feel excited and overwhelmed at the same time.  So pulling a little self-care I worked on in February out of my tool box, I narrowed it down to 2 things I am committing to do for the duration of Lent.

Morning Prayer Time.  Every morning I am going to carve out time to pray and do my Course in Miracles study.  I’ve been doing ACIM when I have time to squeeze it in during the day, but I believe it is time to commit a specific period to it, as well as reach out to my Higher Power in a meaningful way every day. 

Embrace gratitude as a daily practice.  I will do this by writing something I am grateful for on the wall of a wonderful Facebook page called The Gratitude Circle.  During the holidays this year I participated in a 40 Days of Gratitude challenge with them.  It was wonderful not just to see everyone else’s blessings, but to also realize the little things I had to be thankful for that I often forget.

It may not seem like a lot, but I know for myself if I added any more than this I would feel too much pressure for perfection.  I just want to connect consistently with my Higher Power in a meaningful way.

Are you giving up anything or adding anything for Lent?  I’d love to know!