This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday.

Yes, already!

Every year for the last decade, I pray and consider carefully during the winter what I might do during Lent. Lent’s tricky for me. I love the church calendar and the seasons and I love setting it apart as a holy (or holier) time of the year, but I’m too aware of the temptation to use Lent as a diet plan or give something up but not really observe the season as a whole.

I don’t want to do that. I want to be intentional during Lent. When I give something up, I want it to serve a greater purpose and make me more mindful. In the past couple of years, I’ve given up coffee, given up sugar, and given up all beverages but water and sent money to the Blood:Water mission. Those were each meaningful in their own way.

This year, I’m giving up something I’m not sure I can live without in the hopes that I’ll learn that I can.

I’m giving up multi-tasking. Multi-tasking is something I think I’m really good at. I have a feeling the opposite is actually true.

Instances of multi-tasking:

• Eating while I watch TV or read
• Facebooking while I do…well, a lot of things
• Talking on the phone and walking
• Watching a show on Netflix and having about 75 other tabs open
• Writing while I listen to music
• Working out while I listen to music
• Thinking through the day ahead while I shower
• Drinking coffee while I do…again, a lot of things
• Checking my phone while I talk to someone
• Making copies while I create fliers while I listen to music while I check Tweetdeck while I clean up my desk

And what I have discovered as I go about my day watching for instances of multi-tasking in preparation for Lent is that the list is much bigger than that.

What could I accomplish if I only focus on one thing at a time? What if when I eating, I’m just eating? What will happen if I can only have one tab open on my computer? What if when I’m talking to you, I’m just talking to you?

Yes, this Lent will be a season of single-tasking in the hopes that I’ll become more focused and more productive and more attentive in my relationships and tasks.

But in considering all of this, I’ve decided that there will be necessary exceptions, and I’m a big believer in the spirit vs. the letter of the law:

• I’m obviously not going to stop thinking while I do things. Thinking will not be considered a “task” in this journey.
• I will avoid multi-tasking with music in most cases, but I have a hard time driving in a silent car. Maybe I’ll keep it off when I have a passenger who might prefer conversation. I will try working out without music and make a decision about that based on how it affects motivation and endurance.
• Because I say so, drinking coffee or water does not count as a task. I could justify that, but I’m not going to. Deal with it.
• If my family or my loved ones are participating in an event that requires multi-tasking, I will participate. Relationships always trump anything else during my Lenten journey.

I will be focusing on how I multi-task with my electronic devices, how I mindlessly eat while I do other things and how I have a hard time just letting my mind settle into one thing at a time. I’ll be seeking to glorify Jesus in deeper relationships and richer time studying and preparing for the ministry I’m called to do.

Pray for me. This is going to be tough.

I’m interested to know if you observe Lent and if so, how will you observe it?

But I just thought I’d give a quick update about my visit with my doctor and the whole “Becky wants to be a runner” thing since I mentioned I was going.

First of all, my blood work came back with mostly gold stars. I totally blame exercise for bringing all of my “numbers” into perfect range. The only problem? I’m now officially anemic. The doctor sent along a prescription for a really high daily dose of iron, but I’m a little worried about nearly sextupling (ha–is that a word? I mean x6…) my amount of supplemental iron. Today I ate an entire bag of steamed broccoli. The other day, the youth group girls made me order a cheeseburger at Applebees (“Eat your iron!” one of them exclaimed when I wondered if I should order chicken instead.). I suppose it’s all about balance. I stopped eating red meat (a great source of iron) to improve my health, but I suppose I should have focused on other ways to get the mineral.

Second of all, I have to go back to my orthopedic surgeon because my doctor feels rather certain that the tumor on my Achilles tendon has come back. Tumors do that, I know, and it was a benign tumor…but I had surgery and everything so I was kind of hoping that was a done deal.

Whatever it is that’s happening with my Achilles is making running (and some days, walking) kind of painful. “Are you limping?” Is a question I hear frequently…because I am actually limping a bit even though I try to walk normally. I’ve stopped running since Thanksgiving weekend and that’s helped the pain some.

When I told my doctor that, he kind of shrugged and said, “Well, I guess that answers that question.” Elliptical, swimming, biking–all good ideas for now. Running–not so much.

Sigh.

But I feel great and I weigh less than I did at my physical last year. I’m giving serious thought to swimming laps at the Y more often and to eating more broccoli, spinach and steak (hey–that sounds good now that I think about it!). I’m sad that it seems I won’t be a runner, but if I’m honest about it, I was probably never going to make a good runner anyway.

And that’s the TMI update!