Coming to my Senses

This time I joined: as I told you last year, my kin give up something during Lent: Son (smoking and alcohol) and Husband (alcohol, he does not smoke).

Basically I think that is a good idea, and so I said: “OK, until Easter no sweets, no alcohol for me either!”

Not that I need to lose weight or drink too much, but I wanted to test willpower and discipline.

At the beginning I thought sometimes of delicious dark Belgian chocolate – and now, when the sun comes out and people sit outside the cafés and drink Chablis from glasses that so nicely mist up, I sigh and say to myself: “Easter comes soon.” But it is not such a strong temptation that I have to follow Oscar Wilde "and yield to it to get rid of it” - I soon forget it, unlike the monk in the well-known Zen story: 

Two monks were traveling together. When they came to a wild river, a beautiful woman asked if they could help her.

The one monk carried this woman on his shoulder over the river and let her down on the other bank. The other monk was very angry, but said nothing.

After they both had walked about an hour in silence, the first monk enquired “Is something the matter, you seem so upset?” The other answered, “As monks, we are not permitted a woman, how could you then carry that woman on your shoulders?” The other replied, “I left the woman a long time ago at the bank, however, you seem to be carrying her still.” 

But one thing I know: though I will continue my ‘fast’ now, I will not repeat it next year.

Why should I?

I knew before that I have a strong will, if necessary – so no need to test that again. Normally I do as I please - who knows how often in life one can enjoy the beautiful things that God/the Tao/ a Higher Being created for us and gives us as a present to savour it? And Joey Adam's funny warning: “Do not worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older it will avoid you" might have a morsel of truth in it :-) 

So on Easter you will see this woman happily say “Cheers!”