I'm kicking my ash.

The seasons are changing. The seasonal calendar is about to turn to Spring. The baseball calendar is about to begin. And the Christian calendar has just turned to the season of Lent.

With Lent comes sacrifice. From Ash Wednesday until Easter, for 40 days, many around the world give up certain things. Some give up Facebook and others chocolate.

I have never given anything up for Lent. Presbyterians observe Lent and all of it's special days, but there is no emphasis put on the personal sacrifice like there is by other denominations and groups.

This year, unlike any other year, I am not giving anything up. I am, however, taking on a new challenge. Over the course of the next 40 days, I will do at least 2,500 push-ups and 4,000 crunches, and walk or run at least 100 miles.

This may not seem like an enormous goal for some and it might seem impossible to others. To me, it seems just right. Enough time and effort will have to be put into this to make it a significant task, but it is time that I normally spend watching television and effort that is wasted on thinking about tasks I never accomplish, much like this one.

I once heard one of my favorite sports writers say he never talks about potential projects because if they don't happen, people are constantly asking about them and he has to go through the story of what went wrong. Using that same theory, I'm blogging about this so people might ask me about it down the road.

I've learned I don't have much problem letting myself down, but very rarely am I willing to allow myself to let someone else down. So, hopefully, towards the end of this project, one of you will ask me how I'm doing and I will have good news to report.

And if I don't? I'll have one hell of an excuse.

Happy Wednesday,

Moles