I’m not sure if vacuuming out my car counts as a Lenten discipline. If it doesn’t, I’m really going to be scraping the bottom of the ascetic barrel here right soon. There isn’t much I am doing that can really count as a new practice or a sacrifice this season. Giving up the garbage in my car is the best I have dome up with yet.
Unless you want to count this day as a Lenten retreat. I took what my family calls a “Bill Finney Rest Day” for my uncle who would occasionally skip school because he simply did not want to go. Mine was a bit more intentional in that I and everyone I work with put in some pretty full days. I decided on Friday to take a three day weekend because the calendar for Monday was fairly clear, and it was a good time to catch my breath.
Which I did with a little writing in a coffee house, some yoga, lunch with friends, napping while a documentary played on Netflix. I don’t know why I bother picking a documentary when any one that doesn’t involve gunfire or other nap interrupting noises will do. This one was on the Panama Canal, which I am sure is fascinating. Maybe I will watch it some day. And I vacuumed out my car.
That doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it is something that can always wait until later. There is always a reason to get something else done first. Then my car is a wreck, and that makes me slightly batty. Being slightly batty is not conducive to a fit spiritual condition. So I guess there is a certain value to cleaning out my car during Lent. Maybe there are some disciplines that could be used all year.