Well, well, well. This is humiliating.

This is the first year I have ever bothered to number the days stretching from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. Guess what? I’ve been observing Lent incorrectly for years. Ta-da!

It turns out that when people break Lent on Sundays it’s because those days are not included in the grand total of forty days. As my friend Jen so graciously pointed out this morning, Sundays are intentional breaks to restore one’s spirit and prevent pride. Feast Days, people. Wow. I feel so silly.

I realize that many of you will be rolling your eyes like, “Elissa! Seriously?! How idiotic.” Well, you’re right to some degree. Why didn’t any of you tell me?! Were you waiting for the ball to drop so you could laugh at me? In some ways, I hope you were. Oh, this is all so hilarious. I can’t believe I made it all the way to thirty-one days before I figured it out.

Ironically, one of my favourite lines from the Indigo Girls’ album I wrote about yesterday is something Emily Sailers says casually before launching into a song. She refers to a time when she felt like a fool in the context of a romantic relationship.

“You have to laugh at yourself because you’d cry your eyes out if you didn’t.”

These words have helped me emerge from the oceans of negative self-talk over the years. If a situation arises and the only options are to cry one’s eyes out, wallowing in self-pity or to recognize the humour in it all, I’d rather enjoy a hearty belly laugh, shake it off and move on. Laugh lines are beautiful, after all and everyone benefits from a healthy does of humility.

So today I’m crying but it’s because I’m hysterically laughing at my ignorance. You’re welcome to giggle at my expense.

I would like to go on record and publicly invite people to boldly point out my blind spots, my foolishness, my spelling errors, etc. I’m a big girl and I embrace feedback. I can laugh at myself. I will not be offended.

Now for some retroactive Feast Days. We have friends in town and with all the lengthy writing ahead, I’ll benefit from the extra time to reflect, pray and sleep. Writing will resume shortly.

In humility,
E