Resolutions

By Netnet Camomot

LENT began on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 26, on the day right after the People Power Revolution’s 34th anniversary. Coincidence? Hmmm. Did that inspire the grafting and corrupting politicians to repent for their sins?

For a while there, there was confusion on how to safely put ashes on foreheads, no thanks to the coronavirus disease.

“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust / It’ll never be the same / But we’re all forgiven / We’re only living,” as the song goes. And while in this world, the human being has ambitions, goals, and bucket lists that he would love to put tick marks on for “done.”

Count the number of items in your new year’s resolutions that have tick marks now. None? But it’s already March! Juice colored. Unsaon na lang. And look who’s talking. Haha! Wait, I have an excuse—I didn’t make any new year’s resolution.

Yes, it’s March. Graduation time for graduates. Payment time for real property taxes if the discount in December 2019 was not availed of. But the question of the month is, What are you giving up for Lent? It could be Facebook, rice, sweets, tequila, red meat.

Lent began Feb. 26— “And it’s too late, baby now, it’s too late” to tell you what fasting means and to make sure it’s a commitment that could last till Black Saturday on April 11. Sundays are not counted as part of Lent—that’s when you can, hmmm, indulge.

I did say no red meat for Lent. But there I was on Thursday night feasting on meatballs.

Compared to Christmas, Lent is the more appropriate time for spring cleaning, with the guidance of two questions. First, the one I mentioned earlier—what are you willing to give up. Second question—Marie Kondo’s “Does it spark joy?” as you hold an item close to your heart. There’s a third question for the senior moment: Will my children and grandchildren appreciate the clutter if they’re the ones doing the spring cleaning for me?

Lent has 40 days—Sundays are excluded from that count. That’s 40 days of fasting, spring cleaning, and asking what sparks joy.

Reading and writing obviously spark joy for me. In case you haven’t noticed, both are done alone. Like sariling sikap. Another activity comes to mind for sariling sikap but it’s censored, so let’s not go there. Wink wink.

Fasting and spring cleaning are also done alone unless the latter requires the family’s help in deciding on the family’s treasures as you all ask, Do they spark joy? And the answer to that can be to each his own, with each family member having many opinions.

Intermittent fasting has become a diet trend, making fasting for Lent as easy as not eating after 6 pm. That 6-pm deadline is important—all post-6 pm snacks result in more pounds the morning after. Drink water instead.

Whenever you’re about to have an emotional eating binge, pause for a while and think of who can benefit more from the food your body doesn’t need. Excess food that can only make you fat is an unnecessary expense, much like buying one more bag to add to your bag collection. Or one more piggy to the piggy collection.

Hunger is a grave problem in some parts of the world, while people are throwing away expired, spoiled, or excess food in other parts of the world. Life is, hmmm, unfair. The ones with excess food should give them to those with none. But that doesn’t happen because the one dealing with excess cannot fathom the fact that hunger exists—he’s in denial and seeing someone scavenging for food from a garbage bin won’t even convince him that it exists. After all, he has places to go, people to see, he’s merely passing by, and that fleeting sight of a scavenger immediately morphs into a memory that’s easily forgotten.

Charity is overrated, anyway. Lugaw for 1,000 students is nothing, it’s not even petty cash fund to the donor whose closet has the $3.8-million Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse, and the $2-million Hermes Kelly Rose Gold. That’s P193,662,934 and P101,927,860, respectively.

But who are we to judge? Like a gift, it’s the thought that counts.

When does charity morph into a truly charitable act, by the way? Are there criteria—50 percent, heart; 30 percent, hard-earned money; and 20 percent, own pocket? Meaning, it’s not government funds, not a commission from a government project, not stolen from the national treasury. Otherwise, you’re merely returning money to the madlang pehpohl who paid taxes for the lugaw you’re giving them.

But “charity begins at home,” as the saying goes. And it may mean you first. Take care of yourself first. You are your top priority. So you’ll have more to give to others. It’s when you’re complete that you’ll gain this feeling to share pa more. And completeness does not even include money.

2020 has been a challenging year so far for the world, and it’s indeed timely for Lent to be here now, to give people more time to contemplate. Anything that happens has a lesson eager to be released to the world, and it’s up to the madlang pehpohl to discern what it is. For example, weight gain the morning after means you ate too much the day before. A closet whose doors refuse to close means stop buying more clothes, bags, and shoes. Clutter means junk. So, discernment is the key to Realization 101.

I vowed not to buy clothes this year. And then, I needed a long gown for a wedding. Hehe. And the required attire for our high school alumni homecoming. Hehe.