Welcome to my world. An altered state of reality in which I sometimes feel as if I am the only one experiencing issues and situations that are ridiculous, funny, frustrating and thought provoking.
Every year at this time, people go around asking each other “what are you giving up for lent?” Usually the answers are pretty mundane ranging from meat and alcohol, to partying and sex, therefore it is synonymous with self sacrifice. But why is this so? What is the story about Lent and why is it so significant to not only Christians, but practically everyone in the western world?
We all know it takes cash to care but our pocket really should not dictate how romantic we are or how creative we can be in making our significant other feel valued and appreciated. While cash is still king, you can have a blast on a budget with a little ingenuity and a whole lot of common sense.
It is as old as society itself. In fact the good book chronicled how David and Bathsheba created their own version of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ behind Uriah’s back. In Shakespearean times, it was called “pouring treasure into foreign laps” or being ‘cuckolded’; fast forward to present times, the English refer to it as “doing the dirty on”. In the United States, they call it ‘creeping’; Trinidadians call it “horning” while back a yard, it is just good old fashioned ‘bun’…and if you bright or bare faced, you serve it with cheese!
In this age of trying to be one with the universe and save the trees, the planet and mankind, we tend to ‘Kumbaya’ everything and use the word “share” a lot but when it comes to common sense as well as hygiene practices, the most we should share are ideas and car pool duties.