Lent in Retrospect
Happy Easter! Okay, Easter Sunday is nearly over as I write this, but the season of Eastertide goes on for seven weeks, until Whitsun / Pentecost , which this year is on 28 th May. To my surprise, this year I have not only had a happy Easter, but even a happy Lent. Considering my ambivalent relationship with Christianity, a season in which I spend more time thinking about God, praying and meditating is likely to be emotionally turbulent. Still, this year, there have been maybe half a dozen bad days over the past seven weeks, compared with three times as many in Lent 2022 or 2021. And at least these have been one-off days, instead of going around feeling miserable and paranoid for most of a week at a time. I don’t know what made the difference. Maybe, at the age of forty-two, I am finally managing to grow up, at least slightly. Maybe the results of years of therapy are finally showing. Maybe keeping a journal of things I am thankful for helps. Maybe eating fermente