End of Lent=Countdown to Caffeine??

by Kimberley Thompson, Tastemaker in Residence

Lent will soon be over...do I let the party begin? Is it "Countdown to Caffeine," or do I continue to give my body a break from the java jitters?

Over the last 6 weeks, I have heard myself say out loud numerous times, "I gave up caffeine for Lent." And in my head I finished that remark off by thinking, "and I cannot wait until Easter is over to say hello Mr Dunn Bros!"

I know why I gave up my beloved brew for Lent; that is not the thorny dilemma here. The elephant in the room (okay, my head) is do I START back up after being clean for 6 weeks. (And yes, I am using addiction jargon VERY deliberately.)

Has Lent become a minor bump in the road pertaining to my comfort, or vices, or habits and addictions? Does Lent lose it's meaning if I keep "Saying it is just for a few weeks, days, hours?"

Looking forward, I still plan on being more charitable, which can cut into my caffeine budget but not break it. I plan to keep practicing daily quiet and meditative time booked for myself to contemplate the "thought bubbles" that seem to constantly simmer in the back of my grey matter. 

But the question here is....do I just flip a calendar page and quit doing what I had been doing for the last 6 weeks? Is Lent something to just gut through and feel righteous about while in the midst of the season...or does it give me a reason to kick-off a conscious life change? Has Lent become the  4 to 6 weeks of the New Year's resolutions which (for most of us) fizzle by mid February?

Clearly, I have some decisions to make. And it isn't totally about the coffee.