Lent has arrived! The time of the year when we must sacrifice ourselves for God. After a beautiful dinner with the Saram community on Monday I came upon the book "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin. It's a beautifully written book not about how to be happy, but how to be happier. Similar to Gretchen after 19 months of living in Micronesia, I found myself taking many things for granted. I am very happy but find times of the day when I just dont feel as energized as other times. With Lent starting this week I have decided to pair my Lenten promises with the idea of being happier.
As many of you know, I love my bed and am not a morning person by any means. I sometimes find myself hitting my snooze button for almost an hour before I pull myself out of my bed. For Lent I have decided to "give up" my snooze button. Once my alarm rings in the morning, I am up and out of bed, ready to start a new day. One of my "happiness" goals is to get enough sleep. This means not staying up too late reading or doing work in the office. Picking a time and choosing to go to bed.
I have also decided to attend weekday mass every morning. I feel so fulfilled after a mass and it really is a beautiful start to my day. I have only been going on Wednesdays but have found such a peace in the presence of mass. Getting out of bed and getting enough sleep will also be major factors in me attending mass. One of the reasons I did not attend daily before was because, sadly I could not pull myself out of bed or I needed coffee before my classes started. I have to say after three days, I have actually felt really happy.
Another idea I got from Gretchen's book was the 5-minute rule. Always do a chore or an activity you might have put off for later that will take you less then 5 minutes. Putting a book back in the right spot, washing your dish, or changing your sheets. I always find myself putting all these little chores off until later. So my new resolution for Lent, is to do all those projects that I may have saved for another day.
Additionally, I am going to act the way I want to feel. I want to feel happy, I want to feel energetic, and if this is what I want, I am going to act that way. If I want to be a fun teacher, I am going to act fun. If I want to be a loving community mate, I am going to act more loving. It's all about how I want to feel then acting that way. And if I am happier, hopefully those around me will be happier too.
Lastly, in my constant discernment process, Gretchen talked about passion. I have been to find my passion since I started college. What do I love? What brings me joy? These are things I still feel like I haven't figured out yet. I have been blessed to have so many experiences, but I still am not sure what God is calling me to do. I think back to my beautiful childhood and how much joy I had playing outside, dancing around my room, and hanging out with my cousins. I think about college and loving to babysit the little ones. And here how much I love talking to these students about their lives, their passions, their faith. I have come to love so much about others. I really am not sure what God wants me to do, but I want to take this Lenten season to pay more attention to it. To find something that will pull me out of bed in the morning (even though I love sleeping in).
So good luck on all of your Lenten promises and your own happiness. For me, I know I am still a work in progress, but I have faith that God will guide me through Lent and has helped me to find that everyday happiness in the people, in the beauty, and the life that surrounds me.
