Today is Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday. Many families all over the world will be making successful (and calamitous) attempts to toss pancakes in the air, hoping for a perfect landing in the frying pan. Out will come the nutella, sugar, honey, syrup and everything else.
But what’s it all about? Media and commercialism has made it all about the pancakes and little else besides. I remember the genius advert for squeezy lemon juice – “Don’t forget the pancakes on Jif Lemon Day!” Shrove Tuesday marks the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent – a period where Jesus went into the desert to fast and be tempted by Satan for 40 days and 40 nights. It ends at Easter time. There will be countless numbers of us making pancakes, but how many will shift the importance onto Ash Wednesday and make the commitment to giving something up for Lent?
Now, you don’t have to be religious in order to do Lent. Not by any means.
By the same token you don’t have to be an alcoholic to do Dry January. Mind you, call this controversial by today’s all inclusive standards, but I’d still rather it JUST be the men that grow Movember moustaches!
I’ve done Lent since my teens. Every single year. OK, so I DO have my faith and beliefs, and it was probably grounded from that basis but it quickly became ‘just a thing’ that I did… religiously! And not necessarily a – Religious thing! For me it started by giving up my chocolate. It wasn’t easy I can tell you. I’d struggle for the first week or more then be counting down the weeks til it ended. Then I discovered that Nestle Gold Bar’s were NOT chocolate even though they appeared to me to be white choc, they were in fact, caramel. Oh! Well, that was me, smashing through 6 packs of Gold Bars like my life depended upon it. FAIL.
One of the non-Christian reasons for me persisting with Lent every year was because the timing of it and the results it gave me. I’d lose weight by ditching all those chocolicious calories and it led me right up to the start of the cycle racing season. I’d be getting fitter AND shedding a couple of extra pounds or more. The Gold Bar loophole needed kicked into touch though and so, with the annual Choocy purge becoming a doddle, I extended it. Cakes. Biscuits, sweets etc.
In more recent times, about 7 or 8 years ago, flap jacks were allowed of course. I mean, its only oats, fruit etc. They aren’t unhealthy….are they? Well…. Those packs of four that Sainsbury’s do were just TOO damn good for their own packet! I’d demolish the full pack of four and be hankering for more. I’d be on the doorsteps of the local store at 6.59am waiting for the doors to open to get my oaty little fix for the day. FAIL. Flapjacks got banned the next year.
My full list of exclusions now extends to
• Chocolate
• Biscuits
• Cake
• Sweets
• Ice Cream
• Flapjacks
• Hot Cross Buns
• Crisps
• Pop
• Cream
• Pastries & Pasties
• Pork Pies
I’ve managed to give up booze once or twice too, but found that very difficult to stick to on top of everything else. One year I decided to give up drink EXCEPT when Newcastle United were playing on TV. At the time, under Sir Bobby Robson, we were playing exciting, free flowing football and had European football involvement. Well, we were on the Telly about twice a week! I was drinking MORE under my new rule than I had been before! FAIL.
Nowadays Lent is pretty easy for me, my discipline is resolute. In order to stave off the cravings, I buy a load of different nuts, seeds and dried fruit and mix them all together in a big tub. When I get peckish, a handful of this is enough to satisfy. I’m cautious not to eat too much bread products as a substitute. An occasional sweet treat can be Greek yoghurt with banana, kiwi, some nuts and a bit of honey. Those seven weeks just fly by.
But WHY? Why do Lent?
Simply because its a set amount of time. Its fixed. You wouldn’t do Dry January from March 17th to April 16th. You wouldn’t cook a big turkey dinner with stuffing and sprouts etc on Tuesday 20th July. OK, you MIGHT – but you crack on if that’s what floats ya gravy boat! When there is a definite start day and a specific end point, it becomes easier to endure a period of abstinence. Whatever you choose to give up, be it something big or small, a habit you’re trying to break or perhaps ADDING a new, positive trait – like doing a daily good deed. You’ll discover the effect it has on you is incredible.
To help track your progress – print off a calendar and mark each day
with a big red ‘X’ When you see that pleasing row of XXXXX’s – you’ll not want to cave in to your temptations. The American comedian and sitcom actor, Jerry Seinfeld is often attributed with the saying of ‘Don’t break the chain’ whereby he claimed that he committed to writing comedy every single day and ‘Not break the chain’ – its a simple but powerful practice to help keep you on track.
You can print my own quarterly calendar that I use(with a tab specially created for Lent) here: 2025 Calendar (Quarters) A4 Printable
OK here’s the paradox. If I can be SO super disciplined. Like an absolute pillar of rock, standing in the ocean, facing the thunderous waves and ferocious winds of temptation. Never breaking nor collapsing. Not even once. Then why the hell can’t I perform Lent-like strength and abstinence in other random periods of the year???
I’ve thought about this a lot over the years and my only conclusion is that I think its because its a set-in-stone period of time every year. (The amusing image of having a Christmas dinner on 20th July comes to mind again) Similar to starting your day with the alarm clock on the floor. You have to get out of bed to turn it off, you get up, grump and curse, then start your day. Of course you DO have the option of quitting Lent. Any time. In the same way that you can opt to just retreat back to the warm duvet. But the feelings of accomplishment, self worth and satisfaction for persisting with it, pushing back the easy option are DEFINITLEY worth the effort.
Tomorrow it starts. Once again I’ll give up everything on the list above. But having made this public, I feel I need to add an additional item…. lets go for Whisky. My love of a single malt never goes much more than a week before I’m reaching for a glass of Jura or Lagavulin. Damn! Oh well…. only seven weeks to go!
No more til Easter (New challenge!)
• Whisky
Tell us what you will give up in the comments below – stay strong and resolute. Once you’re past the first few days, it gets so so easy and the results at the end of it are well worth your disciplined efforts! Stay strong people.
PS – Its been a while since I last posted. I went through a difficult few weeks, Dec-Feb and have only just pulled through it. The post on that is to follow. More of a short story and its left me almost ‘writer blocked’ in trying to empty my thoughts to paper. Glad to be back to it with THIS though