When asked recently by my daughter if I'd guestpost a Little Something to her blog (it appears today, so check it out) I wracked my brain looking for a topic -- until I realized that Fat Tuesday was just inches away and then it all came together. The food especially. I'd write about red beans and rice, shrimp and crayfish, spicy homemade jambalaya, and crazy voodoo hurricane drinks -- sweet!
Yeah... no. Probably not a good idea.
Of course, I did write about the food. (I couldn't help myself....) And doing so made me crazy hungry. I knew it would, just like writing about it NOW is making me crazy hungry. So I'm back-pedaling. And trying to focus instead on a 'thought-filled-vs.-tummy-filled' version of Fat Tuesday....
In my youthful church-going days I routinely met the Lenten season with the promise of giving something up for forty days and forty nights. Usually chocolate, as it turns out. (Although one year I did manage to give up television, which I'm still pretty proud of). And now I can't hear the word 'Lent' without thinking of the word 'denial.'
And because Fat Tuesday all snuck the heck up on me this year and Ash Wednesday is just hours from now, I'm forgoing much of the party suggestions I guestposted about and am taking time to give the season some serious thought. There'll still be food, of course. And denial. Both at the same time, in fact (stick a trinket in a doughnut-hole and call it King Cake, why don't we.... hooray). But it's now an alternate version of denial that I'm busy pondering.
A thoughtful friend offered a suggestion this morning that ignited a little fire that's been getting warmer by the minute. She said, "How about focusing your art for the next 40 days on a theme of giving up, or release?"
How about that? Great idea!
So that's where my head is at as I type this. Her suggestion was just the kick in the seat of the pants that I needed. (And I promise that anything that comes of it will be shared with you here, 'k? So stay tuned!)
And while I'm deep in creative thought today, why not check out my dear daughter's blog and enjoy? And if you've got some fun Fat Tuesday party suggestions, PLEASE share! :)
...
