I really like Lent even though I am not Catholic. I think the idea of giving up something you enjoy or do often is a good thing. Two years ago, I gave up sugar but last year I didn't give up anything because I was moving to Africa.
This year, after some thought and looking at my lifestyle here, I have given up not one, but two things: Facebook and salt.
I spend entirely too much time on Facebook, which I consider to be a huge time waster. It is also a little weird getting updates on everyone's lives. It sometimes makes being here tough when I see things I enjoyed back home. I don't mean this as a complaint because I do enjoy my experience here, but its tough nonetheless. At the end of the day, I really don't use Facebook for anything productive; its almost a habit. I get online and check my email and then open up Facebook. I wonder how much I will miss it.
As for salt - I use a ton of it when I cook. I enjoy cooking, but some meals I make here need a lot of help. I have a bunch of spices and salt mixes in my pantry and I use them liberally when I make a particularly uninspired dish. I am a big fan of the food blog Casual Kitchen and there was a post a recently came across which dealt with added salt. The blogger even went as far as to say, "I consider salt one of the most dangerous, addictive and unhealthy food additives out there."
So here goes: 40 days without Facebook and added salt. It is going to be tough but in the end I think I will be more productive, healthier, and happier.
