Thinking about Lent

Of course I'm not Catholic, but a few years ago I started participating in Lent by giving up something for forty days, and that something is always sugar. I still feel a need to give up sugar, but for some reason this year it seems unbalanced to have my "given up thing" be dietary. I guess that's because I'm already being so mindful of what I eat. Yup, this year, I'm going to better myself on the inside as well: I'm going to try to give up interrupting.

I don't interrupt out of rudeness; usually it's a strong desire to empathize verbally with whomever is speaking. It's the way I've trained myself to show that I'm really listening. Ironic, I know, that I show how well I'm listening by interrupting the speaker before they're done. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to try as hard as I can to remember to let the other person finish. I hope it will make me a better listener as well as a more understanding and patient person.

But: how will I handle it when kids are saying rude things to each other? Will my silent presence be a powerful enough force? (Probably). What will I do when others interrupt me? Will I be angry? (I hope not).

We'll see how this goes.