Fat Tuesday...

Thank you to the small minority of people in my life who remembered to wish me a Happy Fat Tuesday today. It’s surprising to me how many people I talked to in the last week were unaware of this extremely important occurrence. They looked at me as if I had three heads when I asked them if they were going to eat their donuts and other goodies.

Fat Tuesday is a joyous occasion – an opportunity to gorge oneself with all sorts of fattening, junk foods. But more importantly, it’s a day to eat as many donuts as possible. The best donuts come from my grandmother – each year as a child and adolescent, I couldn’t wait to get home after school to devour multiple donuts and donut holes, perfectly covered with a fine dusting of powdered sugar. They are the only donuts in the world that can top my beloved Dunkin Donuts (which I do miss and think about on average four times a day). Oh, how I miss gram's donuts!

No, seriously, Fat Tuesday is more than donuts. It’s a ritual Catholics participate in before Ash Wednesday kicks off the holy season of Lent. It’s the last day where Catholics can truly be guilt-free before Catholic guilt becomes more overpowering than it normally is.

For all of you out there celebrating Fat Tuesday, I do hope your donuts were delicious. I also hope if you’re planning to participate in the rituals of Lent, you have found the peace of mind to know you can manage your sacrifices during this holy time.

Some pieces of advice for Lent:

-If you’re giving something up for Lent, like chocolate or caffeine or alcohol, I hope you don’t play the game of “On Sundays, I don’t have to abide by my sacrifice.” This is for the weak.

-If you’re giving up cursing, I hope you can last more than 20 minutes. If you’ve never tried this, trust me when I tell you 20 minutes is a good effort. Hell, if your work is insane, 10 minutes is a good effort.

-If you're going to Ash Wednesday mass, I hope you will sing the song "Ashes" with pride -- it's my favorite Ash Wednesday hymn.

-If you’re getting ashes on Ash Wednesday, make sure you remember to close your eyes when the good priests of the world mark you with this holy sign – and beware of the giant thumb – they make the biggest crosses and they’ll get you good, I promise.

-If you’re in an area where people are uninformed of Catholic practices, don’t be alarmed on Ash Wednesday when someone tells you that your forehead is dirty and they try to attack your forehead with their sleeve or hanky to wipe the ashes off for you.

Other than that, best of luck for those who will endure the ultimate sacrifices during Lent – I admire your efforts. I haven't decided yet if I will participate this year, but I did participate in Fat Tuesday and that's good enough for now.