Time for Lent and #GoldenActsOfKindness

Hello All!

I hope everyone has been enjoying 2016 so far! And that not too many of you are hung over from Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday Celebrations. It's Ash Wednesday and time again for Lent. I'm not a very religious person but I have always tried to observe Lent because I believe that being able to make a sacrifice, if only once a year, is good for me. Plus the money I usually save by making these sacrifices I'm able to donate to causes that I care for. So for years I've joined in with Lent, much to the confusion of family and friends who know me and my beliefs.

Last year I joined in with the group of #40acts. They are a wonderful organization but this year, I've chosen to branch out on my own. #40acts is very strictly religious based and some of their ideas were not in line with my own beliefs. But I enjoyed the experience so much that I didn't want to abandon the idea. Before I proceed I want to say please don't misunderstand, #40acts is a great organization and they are not preaching anything extreme and I'm not using my powers for evil. I just wanted to apply the concept to my philosophy and open up my capacity for kindness to more of my world around me. So this year I've been inspired to practice (what I'm calling) #GoldenActsOfKindness for the next 40 days.

So what's the plan? Well it's genius in its simplicity.

For the next 40 days I will attempt to spread happiness, joy, love and acts of kindness throughout my world. By doing this I'm hoping to accomplish hopefully two things.

1. To help even just 1 person get thru a day that they may not have thought they were going to be able to make it through.
2. Inspire others to do similar things, so that maybe by taking little steps we can all spread more than pure madness in this world. Because as a species we have to do a better job of loving each other before we rip this place apart.

If your interested in following along feel free to join me on twitter @theonlygolden and I also hope to post updates here on our blog. I am new to snapchat and am still navigating those waters, but I do hope to use my snapchat as a tool for the cause so check me out there as well if you don't mind my dumbass not completely knowing what I'm doing (@theonlygolden2).

Let me know what you guys are up to, if you make any sacrifices or have any ideas for acts of kindness.

-golden

Lents Due

It's time for Lent.

I've been trying to decide what to give up for the next 40 days. I've had some suggestions, but none of them hit a chord. One year I gave up cussing and that was fucking bullshit. I've given up meat in the past but I want to give up something different … something that I never have given up before, you know … actually make a sacrifice, since that’s the point. Most people have suggested Diet Coke.... That is NOT an option. I will not give up my sweet dark mistress, Diet Coke. Plus none of the people who have reoccurring roles in the production of my life, really want to have to endure me without my Diet Coke drug.

I've had some people suggest that I give up Twatter for Lent.... To you people, just know I'm side eyeing your asses really fucking hard. I'm not giving up twatter. I mean I totally could if I wanted to, but like.... I just don't want to. Twatter is where I go for cheap therapy. It makes me laugh (sometimes at others) and feel good about myself (because others are way too much to function, sometimes).

So we’ve determined … I'm not giving up cussing, meat, diet coke, or twatter. So what then?

Most people sacrifice during Lent as a faithful show to the sacrifices made by Jesus. Many of the faithful decide that to fast or give up certain types of “luxuries” is a form of penitence. I was raised religiously but don't, as of now, consider myself a religious person. I do consider myself a spiritual person and so for me, Lent has taken on a different value. I guess I observe it as a habit but also I utilize it as a personal cleansing.

So going along those lines I have an unusual Lenten sacrifice. This year I am giving up and sacrificing my Meh. Yes, I admit that sounds a bit ambiguous and so it becomes easy to fuck around. But I have a bad habit of Meh-ing around lately. My body is constantly hurting, so I focus on it to the point of meds, injections, doctor appointments, and other physical requirements. These are all very important but when it comes to other things that are beneficial to me I always Meh them off, choosing to indulge in an easy lifestyle.

I used to be active but now I Meh it off. I'm not big into hair & makeup considering it less important to me than physical health, I Meh-ed it off. My doctors are always mad as hell that I only eat once a day, because it fucks up my metabolism, but I'm not hungry so I Meh them off. All these things seem silly I'm sure but sometimes these things affect our physical and emotional health in ways we don't realize. Although this wouldn't be a challenge to most of you, I'm sure you are all probably laughing at me, but when you suffer from chronic illness and pain these things will be more of a challenge than you realize.

So this year for Lent, which begins on Feb. 18th and ends on April 4th, I am choosing to be healthier and better myself by giving up my power of Meh for the next 40 days. Who knows, hopefully some of these things will stick and I will carry them with me past the 40 days of Lent. Plus maybe by sacrificing my Meh it will help me get in shape for the upcoming zombie apocalypse that we all know is just around the corner.

golden (@theonlygolden)