Lent on your mind

By JOAN SHERWOOD- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

How's your mind lately? If it's anything like mine, there are times when you're sure it has turned completely to mush - those times when you stand in the middle of the room and can't remember what in heaven's name you came in for; or you go to the store for the one item you absolutely need for supper and come home with three bags of groceries, that item not among them!

You are not alone. I like to think that these moments are simply caused by my trying to cram too much info into an already crowded, overloaded brain-space.

I once watched in amusement as my husband put the cereal in the fridge and the milk in the cupboard. He stared at me and said, "What?" I just said, "Think" - and then we both howled with laughter as he retraced his steps.

We all put zillions of tasks on our to-do list and proceed without looking at the list, then wonder why the lapse in memory. Our memory board looks something like the evidence board on an episode of "CSI" - and age has nothing to do with it (at least, that's what I tell myself).

Let's take a deep breath, exhale slowly and scoop up all those tidbits of not-so-necessary information, sort them out and do a bit of "braincleaning." Lent is the perfect time to stop, look, listen and renew our lives.

The key is to make a conscious effort to allow ourselves to slow down a bit. We are so conditioned to living life in the fast lane, to cramming as much as possible into our days that we simply have forgotten how to live in the moment.

We forget to make room for conversations with God. He's always ready and willing to listen, to soothe our fears and frustrations, or to be the butt of our anger. He's heard it all and can take it.

We are sometimes the architects of our own confusion. True, there are the times when we cannot control the pace of events happening around us and we are necessarily caught up in them. But, when our time is our own, let's be constructive and not destructive.

Give your mind a break, and I'll bet you will remember what you had for breakfast!

(Ms. Sherwood is pastoral care coordinator for St. Clare's parish in Colonie.)[[In-content Ad]]