To the Cross: Travelogue

So I'm out of flavour country headed with some intentionality towards Easter. Two things: On the one hand giving up coffee has been good for me in a lot of ways. Overall I think I feel better - no energy ups and downs. And it's nice to not be dependent on it. It's also somewhat liberating to not pull through every drive through I pass. And it was a good choice in terms of lent because not having something you like on a regular basis (on purpose) works as a good reminder - to spend time reflecting, repenting.

On the other hand, I have to admit that life is a little bit more boring without coffee. It definitely makes a lot of things more enjoyable: breakfast, reading, dessert, driving . . .

But, once Easter is here I am toying with the idea of keeping the coffee-freeness up. Giving things up can be really liberating. It has made me start to consider giving up some more things, making more space, making more God-room.

Adventures Outside of Flavour Country

Marcus Buckingham's strengths revolution tells me that one of my main themes, or strengths, is INPUT. This means I am given to research, this means that I tend to accumulate minutiae concerning things I like. This means that when I was a little-leaguer I kept track of all my own stats - not just hits, and batting avg. - but also things like on base percentage and slugging percentage. This also means that whenever roll up the rim season comes around, I keep track of my winning percentage. Last year was abismal - I was something like 1 for 30.

This year will be a little different, considering the fact that I'm off coffee for lent. But it's almost like Tim knows that I've stopped drinking his elixir - so now he's taunting me with his cups. My first coffee (Monday) was a loser, my second (Tuesday) was the proud winner . . . of another coffee. Today when I was in Pembroke, I had a bizarre moment when I wasn't sure what to do with myself . . . "I'll stop for a . . . oh, I can't do that, so I'll . . . ???" I settled on going for a tea. And my tea was the proud winner . . . of another coffee.

2 for 3. Batting .666? On the thing I've given up for lent? 2 free coffees waiting to be redeemed?

It's the most luck I've ever had rolling up rims. But it also kind of reminds me of the "beginner's luck" phenomenon. You know how, for some strange reason, a lot of newbies to cards or gambling tend to have an uncanny string of good cards, or good luck? Letting it ride, a lot of people get hooked.

It also makes me think of how lotteries are hell. How much of the winnings is money from desperately poor people who hang their last shreds of hope on winning big? Who can't afford what they spend on tickets? Whose children suffer for it?

And have you ever seen tv shows that showcase the lifestyles of winners? Sure they end up with big houses and lots of stuff, but invariably the garish amounts of money they win leaves them isolated, lonely and disillusioned. What kind of a hell would it be to win a lottery and then have all your relationships deteriorate on account of who gets what, and whats fair, and so on? You end up with (dirty) money, but (and) . . . alone.

Lent me a Mulligan

Are there mulligans allowed during lent? I'd been eying up lent as it approached. Only I guess I took my eye off the ball, and lent is here and I didn't notice . . . and I had coffee today. That's not a big deal, except . . . this year I'm going to give up coffee for lent (yes! until Easter! in anticipation of Easter!) I was going to kind of ease into my coffee fast, but due to miscalculations - I am cold turkey as of right now. And with your gracious permission I will accept a mulligan for today's lapse.