Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. It's a time of penitence and self-examination, representing a period of 40 days that Jesus was supposed to have spent in the wilderness examining himself and getting ready for his ministry. If Easter is the dessert- an up-beat culmination of Holy Week, then Lent is the Brussels Sprouts that we have to eat first. Discipline is a tricky subject for me. If I'm the one making the rules, I don't have a problem with it. In December, I completed a Marathon. Even though I wasn't real fast, the training took months, and involved getting out of bed way early to run in the cold, dark mornings before work. I played football from the time I was eight years old until I was 20 years old, and went to practice for hours and worked hard. Oddly, even though nobody made me play football (well, not after I was about 14, anyway), I always held a little something back. I was very fast for a guard, and I probably could have won all the windsprints at the end of practice, but I'd usually only try hard on the first couple of sprints, then "dog it" for the rest. If Coach told us we'd have ten sprints, I'd budget myself so I wouldn't be too tired at the end. I felt that the most unfair thing in the world was when Coach wouldn't tell us how many sprints we had, because I wouldn't know how much to save up for the end. I retrospect, it was very unlikely he was going to kill any of us (though with Coach Kolinski, you couldn't know for sure), but I just couldn't let go and go all-out. Couldn't do it. Wouldn't do it. I was a pretty good football player. No telling how much better I would have been if I would've given it my all. Maybe Lent's like that. Can I learn to accept discipline from anyone or anything else? Maybe. Maybe not.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Lent.
Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. It's a time of penitence and self-examination, representing a period of 40 days that Jesus was supposed to have spent in the wilderness examining himself and getting ready for his ministry. If Easter is the dessert- an up-beat culmination of Holy Week, then Lent is the Brussels Sprouts that we have to eat first. Discipline is a tricky subject for me. If I'm the one making the rules, I don't have a problem with it. In December, I completed a Marathon. Even though I wasn't real fast, the training took months, and involved getting out of bed way early to run in the cold, dark mornings before work. I played football from the time I was eight years old until I was 20 years old, and went to practice for hours and worked hard. Oddly, even though nobody made me play football (well, not after I was about 14, anyway), I always held a little something back. I was very fast for a guard, and I probably could have won all the windsprints at the end of practice, but I'd usually only try hard on the first couple of sprints, then "dog it" for the rest. If Coach told us we'd have ten sprints, I'd budget myself so I wouldn't be too tired at the end. I felt that the most unfair thing in the world was when Coach wouldn't tell us how many sprints we had, because I wouldn't know how much to save up for the end. I retrospect, it was very unlikely he was going to kill any of us (though with Coach Kolinski, you couldn't know for sure), but I just couldn't let go and go all-out. Couldn't do it. Wouldn't do it. I was a pretty good football player. No telling how much better I would have been if I would've given it my all. Maybe Lent's like that. Can I learn to accept discipline from anyone or anything else? Maybe. Maybe not.
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9 comments:
I don't know what all that has to do with Alcohol or Chicken Wings, but, I'm darn sure glad I know when I can indulge again.
Yes, giving up my vices would add more years to my life, but them wings, they add life to my years!! Blackened, Honey BBQ, Cajun, Baked extra-crispy. I Love 'em all! When's Easter again!
Easter's coming, Ange! Hang in there. I'm giving up alcohol and sweets, by the by.
Have you ever read "It's Friday, but Sunday is comin'"----Makes all of these sacrifices worth it. :)fdb
I know its not the topic you're writing about, but I had such a crush on Coach Kolinski!
Gee Terrie, that's a shock. A male, and YOU had a crush on him?
I did not have a crush on Coach K, first, I'm a dude, and that's not the way I roll, plus he physically abused once at practice, if Super D had been a lawyer at the time, we'd have had a hum-dinger of a law suit.
Frandy, I never heard the "It's Good Friday now, but Sunday's coming" sermon, but Father Johnnie at Holy Trinity mentioned it several times. Sounds like a classic.
Yeah, Terrie, Andy's right on the mark (and actually, it wasn't Mark Trimble, but, I think Wayne Grunnert that bore Coach K's wrath. Wait... That was my junior year, so he musta pounded on at least two Falcons).
I don't think I had any more crushes than any other teenage girl back then, I was just more vocal about them and I don't remember having one on you Andy, unless it was during 2nd grade!
Ah, 2nd Grade. I was HOT back then. I was a regular Brad Smith!
I think I was still eating paste in 2nd grade.
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