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The Pixel Punk Diaries |
A Tent for Lent
I've given up a lot of things for Lent over the years. When I was a kid, Mom told me to give up candy or Coke. In high school, I quit cursing or watching TV. In college, I decided to end a bad habit (daily coffee), and start a good habit (daily Mass).
Last year I needed a spiritual lift, so I wanted to give up something new. People say that you should always be thankful for food, clothing, and shelter. But it wasn’t until I fasted for Lent that I could really appreciate food. Now I know that giving up clothing would mean I would get arrested, so the next thing is shelter.
I moved into a tent in my backyard.
What about hail storms, weird sounds, and monsters? The backyard was not the first place that I wanted to sleep. I like Snoopy because he slept on top of his house--a true rebel. If you think about it, it's not impossible. Just haul your bed up there, and let the bedposts straddle the peak of the roof. Keep your sheets tucked tight and try not to roll out of bed. Each night I'd snuggle into the covers and fall asleep under the stars.
That didn't work out because I knew the Home Owners Association would call the cops and I’d get arrested. So I compromised and pitched a tent in my back yard. The tent would keep me dry when the sprinklers flickered on on the morning. And I wouldn't have to worry about scorpions crawling into my sheets.
On Ash Wednesday, I made my bed for the last time. I brushed my teeth and walked outside and unzipped the tent door. What am I doing? I honestly didn't know if I could sleep in a tent for forty nights. What about hail storms, weird sounds, and monsters?
There were plenty of weird sounds, but no monsters. The weather was always a threat: too cold, too wet, too hot. But in the end, I loved every night of it. So much so that by the time Easter came along forty days later, I couldn't bring myself to move back in the house. I stayed out there for another two weeks.
Why stop a good thing? This year, it's going to be another tent for Lent. To read the day-to-day updates, go to TentforLent.com.
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Matt Smith is the Director of Internet Ministries for Life Teen, an international Catholic youth ministry based in Phoenix, Arizona. He is the creative force behind Life Teen's cluster of websites that receive nearly 2 million visits a year. Since staring on MTV's "Real World" and MTV's "Road Rules Challenge", Matt has traveled the country speaking at colleges, universities, schools, and Catholic parishes.
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