**For more #FeelGood stories, check out my blog page!**
Many of you know that I was born and grew up (until the age of 15) in Dix Hills, Long Island, New York.
I grew up Catholic. From ages 4-15 I spent every week going to church every Sunday, and religion class twice a week. I've been through several of the sacraments: baptism, confession, communion and confirmation. At age 15, we moved from Long Island to Orange, and we never really found a parish like the one we had back home, so trips to church dwindled. That along with some personal issues with the Catholic church's stance on many things, we just got kind of disillusioned. But it was then I realized that you don't have to be a perfect Catholic and you don't have to go to church each week to have a real connection with God. I didn't get married in a church or by a priest. Today I go to church a few times a year, still occasionally go to confession and communion, but my relationship with God is personal and my own and I'm 100% ok with it. Do I agree with everything the church stands for? No. No one's perfect.
So suffice to say I had not taken Lent really seriously for many years. I would give up something 'easy' like chocolate or fast food, or something I didn't eat very much to make the sacrifice pretty easy. But this year, I decided to make it hard. Very hard. Incredibly hard...just to see if I still had the strength to do it. In general, I'm a very strong person, but when it comes to pasta, I'm really weak!
Look, I like pasta...a LOT...it's my thing. I love making it and I love eating it. I could eat it every day, but I don't. But it's safe to say I was eating some kind of pasta 3-4 times a week.
So, 44 days ago I decided I was giving up pasta for Lent. My husband thought I was crazy. I thought I was crazy. I honestly thought I would last no more than a week. But I did last a week, then two, then three....and now, 44 days later, I still have not had ANY pasta. Even though other Catholics have told me that I could eat it on Sundays, as that day the lent fast is exempt, but I decided to go the long haul and do all 46 days leading up to Easter.
I have occasionally had rice, but no pasta of any kind, although i did have pot stickers one day which some have said is close to pasta, but that was NOT pasta in my book and it's my fast so shut up.
I'll be honest, I think about eating pasta every single day. Seriously! When I open my pantry, pasta is the first thing I see. But somehow I have been able to resist and I am honestly shocked by my resolve.
People have asked if I have lost weight? Honestly, I have no idea, I don't weigh myself unless I'm at my doctor, but jeans are a little looser, so probably.
So as I make my way through the final two days without pasta, let this be a lesson for anyone thinking they can't do something. If I can give up pasta for 46 days, I can do anything!
If you're wondering, my first pasta meal after the fast is going to be either pappardelle or lasagne. I haven't yet decided.
Happy Easter everyone!