The cool thing about abstaining from something during Lent is that it forces us to explore new possibilities. For instance, the person who gives up meat suddenly has to find restaurants with good vegetarian food. Suddenly that local flavor hamburger joint isn't a prime destination and those steakhouse coupons just aren't as juicy (ha, two puns in one sentence!).

Last night, I lost track of the time before dinner, and it was looking increasingly like it wasn't going to get finished, so Seth suggested that we dip into the tax return and go out someplace new. We found a wonderful little restaurant called Salar's Mediterranean Grill, just off the intersection between Murrary and Cornell. The food was good, the service was friendly, and the atmosphere was charming. The walls are decorated with Greek sculpture and pictures of Persian legends, and there's a fountain on the front porch. The only drawback is the location, which means that the balcony is right by a major roadway and subject to all the noise in summer, but that's a small thing.

They had a full wine list, and all the traditional categories of food: chicken/seafood, beef/lamb, vegetarian. We've noticed that the vegetarian menu is usually the least expensive section, which is good right now. Seth ordered Veggie Shawarma, I had Veggie Moussaka, and I figured out from the menu what BaBa Ghanoush is. I'd been wondering.  We're rapidly becoming attached to the idea of grape leaves as appetizers. They have the flavor of ripe vineyards at sunset. The Boo much appreciated her three cheese pizza on grilled flatbread, but she was more enchanted by the thought of drinking water out of a grown-up glass with a straw. She drank two and a half 16 ounce glasses, much to the amusement of the waiter. Yes, we paid for that one later.  

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I attempted real fasting on Friday, and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would. When I first started abstaining from things over Lent, I would always have powerful urges to go do the thing I was abstaining from, urges that would almost drive me distracted. But on Friday, I didn't have that, at least not right away. I had breakfast, and I had dinner, and in between I had lots of water (very important).  And I found some very encouraging results. 

• I learned that it is possible for the body to ignore food, even if the person is fixing food.  After all, I have a preschooler to feed.  She can't fast with me.  This had me worried beforehand because I'd had problems with temptation like this in the past.  The mind begins to lament,"Poor me.  They can eat and I can't."  But this time, that shut down pretty easily.  So I guess fasting does get easier with practice.  People have told me that, but now I know.
• I had a great hour with the Lord over lunchtime.  We talked; I typed.  He revisited some points He's been trying to bring home to me that I was too busy to take seriously. 
• Going along with that, fasting makes a person slow down and prioritize one's time and energy.  Some people may have a constitution that will allow them to keep going as per usual without food, but I'm not one of them.  I move more slowly when I'm empty.  Sitting quietly at the kitchen table with my computer and a cup of water is not something I normally do, but last Friday, it was a real pleasure.
• Time opened up for the things I needed to get done.  I was getting flustered because my designated prayer time was cutting into the time I had to complete my (somewhat essential) to do list.  But I stuck to the schedule I'd set up for myself, and out of nowhere, God pointed out that there are two hours between one o'clock and three o'clock.  Yes, I know, that was something of a brainfart on my part, but that extra hour was exactly what I needed to get my work done. 
• My time really was better used.  I spent more time with the Boo and thinking about other people and less time in transitional activities that do nothing but distract me.
• Prayer came easier and more constantly.  I was always thinking of someone I could pray for. 
•  Concentration came easier too.  I had much less difficulty keeping my imagination in its box, and that ease lasted several days, at least through church on Sunday morning.

The day wasn't all ease.    I could tell my internal furnace wasn't running on full fuel, which meant I was cold, and I hate being cold.  I could also tell that my blood sugar ran out around three o'clock  because I went from going without something I was accustomed to to really wanting to eat.  From that point until dinner, it seemed like everything crowded in and wanted a share of my time with God.  That was also the second hour I had set aside as prayer time, and I really felt like I couldn't make the same connection that I had earlier.  We bulled through it, and I'm sure I learned something, but after that, my resolution was just shot.  I made dinner early.  I was very glad to be done. 

That was my first twelve hour fast.  It was heartening.  I discovered that feeling close to God is a real high and addictive.  I found myself wanting to repeat the experience on Saturday, but sense outweighed religious zeal.  God is to be found in satisfaction as well as deprivation.  Sunday dinner was more enjoyable than ever. Plus there's really no point in trying out a discipline if I'm not willing to do it in a disciplined manner.  I'm going to try the Wednesday/Friday schedule for a while, dedicated, but not too extreme.  A schedule will keep me from fasting for the wrong reasons or going overboard.  And it really is pleasant to have those moments to look forward to.