The Ethics of Lent

So... it's lent and thus the time to pick something to give up... At first I thought I should really be more sacrificial and give up something really major - like diet coke (yeah - still trying to ditch that demon, very unsuccessfully it appears) but... ummm.. no I did not pick that. Instead I picked fast food  - because it's bad and the amount of nutritional value = the time it takes to make it (i.e. little or none) - it makes one need a larger pant size over time, etc... etc.. etc... 

Anyhow, the problem is this (i.e. current ethical dilemma), this week I ate pizza because in my head pizza does not count. It is not fast - it takes a whole 30 minutes before you can pick it up and pizza itself is relatively (ok kind of sort of) healthy"ish".  However, after I ate my pizza I was talking with my mom about Lent and she said and I quote - "you just ate pizza, you cheated" (imagine it in cool slow mo like Yooouuuu Chhhheeaattteeddd) ha ha not really but it sounds fun right? Anyhow - Hands down, stamp it on my forehead cheater. 

Now, the pizza was from Round Table - but I can't help but wonder if it would still be seen as cheating had it come from a local pizza place, or what if I ordered the pizza from a restaurant? hmmm?? you see the blurry lines created in this grey area of a thing I gave up. In fact could not then fast food be anything made in the microwave because it's fast... 

I feel like it all boils down to semantics - but perhaps I am leaning toward that because it suits my purpose. What I meant by fast was "I can sit in my car and get it" - but then there are restaurants with drive up take out - oh where will it end!!!! 

As I type this list I realize I probably very well cheated... Are there Lent do overs??? OR maybe as an overthinker I should just not "give" things up - maybe instead I should pick something I will do instead (that of course, counteracts something negative I do currently). 

OR... I can just say I will not eat fried food - haven't had any of that this whole time - so... yep I can have success with that one. OR I need to be completely concrete... Suggestions / thoughts / get out of lent free card anyone??

On a related note - Morgan said she will give up making messes in ANY room - I repeat ANY room... I believe this too will easily result in a "greyish" area dilemma along the way. Like mother / like daughter. 

Oh - and see dad the world is in fact not just black and white! one point to the child. ha ha