40 days

The last cake that I baked and enjoyed...21 days ago

I’m a hedonist to the core and I am, at times, a little ashamed of this fact. I have very little restraint when it comes most things pleasurable, especially sweet and dessert-like yummies. Every meal of mine has a sweet [or happy :-)] ending to it and that has been the case for a very long while. This is obviously unhealthy on so many levels and I acknowledge that my giving to my cravings at every given moment speaks to the type of person I am and my character flaws which are abound. Not to mention the havoc it’s wreaking on my body.


So I decided to embark on one of my biggest challenges yet – to go without dessert and everything that closely resembles it for 40 days. This happens to coincide with lent that is observed by Christians around the globe – makes my struggle a little easier as many people I know have made similar sacrifices during this time.


It has been 3 weeks to the day. That’s 21 days. A whopping 504 hours which translates to an incredible and unbelievable 30,240 minutes. That’s how long I’ve been able to go without the one thing that has the crazy ability to excite me regardless of the time of day, angle of the sun or direction of the wind. I haven’t had cake in all this time and I’m surprisingly still sane and functioning…normally.[although I have visions and hallucinations from time to time :-) ]


What have I learned? You don’t have to concede to every desire or craving you have, whatever form it may manifest in. In fact, it is in your best interest not to do so for countless spiritual, physical and psychological reasons. The next challenge is to apply this to all aspects of life...

 

‘get up early and pray to your God, hone your virtues...master your cravings’ – Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love