The HC BC staff has come up with challenges not only for ourselves, but for all students at BC, making sure that we are on track to be bold, kind, and ambitious people.
Lent. By now, you’re more than halfway through. The worst is over. Or is it? Week 6. A week and a half left to sacrifice the thing(s) you gave up. No more chocolate for 10 more days. 10 more days without potato chips, or late night, frozen yogurt, or junk food in general. The cravings are probably sneaking up on you. Those chicken tenders are just staring at you from all the way over at the fruit counter in Lower. How have you done so far? Did you cheat on Sundays? Did you forget a few times and have a handful of M&Ms anyway? Have you stayed true to your Lenten sacrifice?
Or maybe you went a different route. Maybe you decided not to swear for 40 days (or at least try), go to the gym every day, eat healthier, do all of the reading and work your professors have assigned, or study extra hard for that class that’s been a thorn in your side for the first half of the semester. Whatever it is that you chose to do for Lent – you’re almost there, it’s almost over.
But maybe it doesn’t have to end. Maybe, if you’re looking at it as it being almost over rather than looking at it as how much you’ve done so far, you’re doing it for the wrong reasons. Over the course of the years, it seems that we’ve forgotten about the real reason Lent exists in the first place. Nowadays, Lent has become more about giving yourself 40 days to diet for a reason – a month and some to say you’re not eating late night or drinking soda. Or some might participate in Lent in honor of the sacrifices Jesus made, whether they’re religious or not. Some might not even have any idea what the actual story behind Lent is. Either way, the true spirit of Lent is to understand why you’re giving something up or making a resolution.
Lent at the most simple level is about taking a good, hard look at ourselves and figuring out the parts of us that most need fixing or special care. In the middle of the hustle, bustle and craziness that is a semester and an entire four years at BC, it’s easy to lose sight of being the best person you can possibly be while also working to get the best grades you can, landing the best internship possible, having the best friends, and getting the best professors, classes, and times. Sure, you might volunteer once a week and go on service trips during your breaks, but what about all the in between? Are you staying true to the person your parents taught you to be? To the person who, at the end of the day, you know you’re supposed to be? Are you proud of the decisions you’re making, the relationships you’re building and the bases you’re building them on? Are you treating people – everyone you come across – the way you would want to be treated?
For the rest of Lent, I challenge you to not only to continue your 40 days without ice cream, but to figure out if and why 40 days without ice cream makes you a better person. Take a little time and a glimpse at yourself and figure out the one part of you that needs some help. Maybe it’s calling your Mom more, paying better attention when your roommate is telling you a story, or paying less attention to your phone and more attention to your professor’s lecture. Maybe you’re struggling with something bigger, like your faith, your future, or your identity. Whatever it may be, it’s not too late. For the next 10 days, and for however long it takes or you want to once Lent is over and the Easter eggs have been found, spend time with yourself – with who you are and who you want to be. Are they the same person? Take Lent a little bit further this year.
Sacrificing chocolate is hard, believe me, I know – I would kill for large bag of peanut butter M&Ms and a BC dining chocolate chip cookie right now – but in reflecting on the ways you can make yourself better, you make those around you better and that makes BC better. That makes the world a little better. For 10 more days, challenge yourself to be a better you. Then reward yourself with your favorite guilty treat. By that time, you’ll have earned it.
http://www.madeinmelskitchen.com/2009/09/kit-kat-cake/