The Lenten season began about a month ago, and Benilde-St. Margaret’s encourages students to write their resolutions on a sheet of paper. These resolutions could include refraining from eating or drinking certain foods or drinks, or adding something beneficial to a daily routine, such as praying or working out. Either way, it can be very difficult to remember these resolutions or give in to temptation. To reflect on the Lenten season so far, students share their resolutions and how they have been keeping them up, or if they have been staying true to them at all.
Most students decide to give up sweets of some sort for Lent. This can be challenging, especially with the Spirit Shop selling candy and seeing sweets at lunch time. Going from eating sweets every day to completely cutting them out can be tough, leading some students to give in to temptation. Another popular resolution along the lines of sweet treats has been giving up “fun drinks, often consisting of Starbucks, EP Power, SLP Nutrition, etc. “I gave up Taher cookies and fun drinks as well. I gave those up to have a healthier and more balanced diet and lifestyle,” sophomore Rosie Fitzpatrick said.
Adding something beneficial to a daily routine can be easy to forget. Whether praying, working out, or even meditation, a new habit can be challenging for students. If the resolution is supposed to be done every day, it creates more of a challenge since it can be time-consuming and difficult to fit into a busy schedule.“My Lenten resolution was to work out every day and do something active, but I haven’t really stayed true to it, because it’s really hard to make time for that. With homework and school and stuff, it’s hard to fit that into my schedule and stay true to my resolution,” sophomore Violet Agar said.
Throughout the 40 days of Lent, it becomes a time of reflection and growth. The challenge of resisting temptation is difficult, but students try their best not to break their resolutions. Additionally, Spring Break occurs during Lent, making it easy to ditch the resolutions and return to them after the break. The majority of students who have broken their resolutions have tried to re-start, while some have completely given up and created a new resolution. “I have stayed true to my resolution. And I think it’s mostly because one of the girls that I was doing it with stopped doing it, and she kind of gave up. And so I’m kind of doing it in spite of that, just to beat her, [and] keep the streak going,” sophomore Pali Mielke said.