Confession Tuesday- Fat Tuesday Edition

Dear Readers,

What a perfect day for Confession Tuesday as it's Fat Tuesday and Lent begins tomorrow.

"Mardi Gras, literally "Fat Tuesday," has grown in popularity in recent years as a raucous, sometimes hedonistic event. But its roots lie in the Christian calendar, as the "last hurrah" before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. That's why the enormous party in New Orleans, for example, ends abruptly at midnight on Tuesday, with battalions of streetsweepers pushing the crowds out of the French Quarter towards home."  from American Catholic

Yes, Catholics (and well, many non-Catholics) know how to celebrate...  (bring out the beads!)

To the confessional--


I Get By With a Little Help from my Friends--

I confess that last night kind of feels like my Fat Tuesday (Let's call it Indulgence Monday).  It was my poetry group, but a few of us met earlier to as were having a "submission party" (for non-writers this might sound very weird & definitely in line with the Mardi Gras free-spiritness, but basically we were just all submitting our poems at the same time, in one place.)

Our get-together included delicious salad with this incredible curry dressing, chocolate (lots of chocolate from European chocolate to Seattle truffles), a few other kind of candy, grapes, a bowl of almonds with raisins, and of course, wine.

We ended the evening with this incredible local port and using these chocolate toasting cups to drink it in.  Amazing.

Oh, and I think we submitted shared poems...oh right, that was the point of us getting together, thus the names: Writing Group/Submission Party.

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I confess that while we had an hour and 20 minutes to submit work, I only submitted 2 batches of poems.  To be honest, that was a lot for me given that I haven't been submitting much (um, or at all).

Submitting my work has become a huge issue for me lately as when I go to submit my poems-- nothing seems good enough.  Though I confess the wine made it easier to submit my work as I liked my poems better after the pinot grigio.

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Missing Bourbon Street--

I confess I tend not to be someone who carries regrets (okay, I don't have regrets because I feel that every choice has led me to where I am now), but if I were to have one, it would be that I didn't visit New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina.  I will get there one day, but I wish I would have been there before that name, that event, impacted their city as it did.

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I confess two years ago in an odd rebellion, I gave up Lent for Lent, but this year I'm giving up chocolate as usual.


For me, giving up a bad habit is always a good idea and dessert is my bad habit, particularly chocolate, as I have a little bit every day.  But I may have to call in "Lent" (in quotes) as you'll see below in my last confession, I'm kind of the "one of these kids is doing her own thing" this year...

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I'm talking with the (wo)man in the mirror--

I confess I had to laugh that in looking for a list of ideas to share about Lent I found this nugget on what to do during Lent:  (1) converting the sinner.  Really?  I'm sure that person would be quite pleased to know s/he is being converted.

I confess I think it's really *so* much better to work on ourselves than other people.  And well, I know I need to look no further than my own bathroom mirror...

(BTW, Here's a great list of things to give up or do during Lent if you're interested.  You don't have to be Catholic to find this list useful.  And I like this list because # 26 is read more classic literature.)

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Confessions of a Chocoholic--

I confess I will be finishing up my chocolate stash today.  Ronda Broatch gave me a delicious Seattle Truffle bar (sea salt and toffee mix), which I'll be having for lunch...I mean for a snack.

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I confess I'm not sure Lent makes me a better person, but I like the idea changing bad habits and I think it's good for me as I'm not someone who withholds a lot from herself or feels that besides hate & not-nice actions, there's really isn't a lot of things I shouldn't do.

(As I said before, I've always felt the Seven Deadly Sins should be the Seven Pesky Sins.  Really, is sloth such a bad thing?  I'll take a hammock & a book over a 5K race any day.)
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So I confess once again I'm nowhere near perfect, not even in the same city.

My confession is all over the map, the good with the chocolate, the sweet with the "I kind of like myself the way I am..."

One of these kids is doing her own thing---

And so I'll confess that I will be going on during a writing residency during Lent so I'll ending Lent a week early because there will be port there and those delicious chocolate toasting cups.

Yes, I confess it seems I'm practicing Kellism instead of Catholicism this Lent.  But I guess it just gives me more to confess for next Tuesday and the Tuesday after that.  It keeps things interesting...

Amen.

~

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