Set in Ash

Yesterday at the close of the day, as I curled up all warm-like in my bed, I realized it had been Ash Wednesday and I hadn’t made it to Mass. This was a first. I’m usually right on top of these things. I was quite upset with myself.

Today, I got to thinking about the lent I’m going to do. Aside from the no-meat Fridays, I like to make a second promise, usually along the lines of no coffee or no eating out during the whole of lent. This year, I batted the idea around a bit and nothing seemed to be right. Fasting seemed a bit too arbitrary. I want my lent to have some meaning.

And then it occurred to me. I have this OCD way of keeping my office immaculate. Everyone at works comments on it and how if they didn’t know me better they’d suspect I don’t have any work to do. But I just can’t work with piles of paper and stacks of odds and ends everywhere, so I always keep my files in an organized fashion, and whatever I’m working on is neatly arranged on my desk and not in wild disarray. This is a far cry from how I conduct my personal accounts.

At home, I always have a pile of clothes (freshly laundered, mind you) on my chair, waiting to be hung up or folded. My bills and mail, in general, gets piled up until I address it at the first of every month (at least I do address it, though). My filing system is long overdue for a cleaning out; storing documents older than two years, creating hanging files for quick storage every month, and tossing anything irrelevant. I’m good about budgeting, and keeping a financial plan alive, but I get careless when it comes to having everything at hand. Simple things like our pets’ vet files need to be updated so that I can see quickly who is due for shots, etc., instead of having to research it. Things like that. Plus, I don’t like clutter. There are items and some books that may be ready for Goodwill.

So, this year, my lent promise isn’t going to be about what not to do but, rather, what to do. I’m going to give myself the 40 days of lent to conduct my personal business with the same meticulous care that I practice in my professional life. The purpose being that by the end of the 40 days, I should be all squared away, plus I will have adopted new continuous habits to use on a regular basis.

I think it’s a good plan. So far, today I’ve done my bed linens and am working on a couple of loads of laundry. I’m going to fight the instinct to dump them on the chair. I will not go to bed tonight without putting both loads away.

*Image: republicofaustin.com