The World feels heavy AGAIN; or STILL, depending on your place in it. As we celebrate Ash Wednesday or the day after Mardi Gras; whichever the case may be for you, our World is in turmoil. As we enter a season of sacrifice we have pictures of Ukrainian families being torn apart by war, with its fear and destruction. Some Ukrainian citizens are making the ultimate sacrifice- they are giving their lives to protect the ones they love.

I grew up in a Christian household but we never celebrated Lent or participated in the tradition of sacrificing for 40 days. It interests me now, as a middle-aged woman. I have decided to give up coffee and complaining. A sacrifice is giving up something of value that actually affects the one giving it. It hurts a little, or a lot. To sacrifice, or give up something, for Lent, is to make one aware, in some small way, of the sacrifice Christ made. That’s the basic idea.

Giving up coffee may seem like a sacrifice; but complaining? I have decided that it will be a sacrifice to not drink the warm liquid blanket that I drink several times a day. I love the caffeine effect but what I crave is the sugar and cream I put in it. My body will thank me for sacrificing my cravings to better my health. But complaining, how is that something to sacrifice? That is just a bad habit that I have gotten into. My nurse’s soul has become a wasteland of bitching and moaning. What do I complain about? Yep, you guessed it. Working as a nurse in a hospital.

Complaining has become like that rich creamy beverage that soothes my frayed ends. It feels good in the mouth. It warms me as I let my words describe my feelings and fill my heart with blackness as I vent. I don’t even complain out loud very often. I do most of my complaining in my mind. Like coffee, it can eat away at my lining. It turns bitter and acidic. When I think of stopping it, giving it up, I don’t want to. Complaining starts with noticing. It then takes what I have noticed and turns it negative and then I add my opinions, judgements, and expectations on top of it and then the rant begins.

Sacrificing coffee and complaining are very minor when compared to the sacrifices others are making around the world. People are giving their lives, I think I can offer up a hot beverage and a bitch.

The thing with sacrificing something is that you will notice what fills the void or takes its place. I am hoping for stopping the negative thought tracks in my mind. I hope to notice more to be grateful for and less to object to. I know that nursing isn’t going to change in the next 40 days; I just look forward to my nurse’s soul changing. I look forward to more peace and less heartburn. No coffee. No complaining. No complaining about no coffee.

What are you giving up? Click the link to let me know: Sacrificing