Why Somebody Else Giving Up Mirrors For Lent Means I Don't Have to Give Up Mine...
Mirrors have been coming up a lot lately and in two opposing viewpoints. The first that came to my awareness was during the 8-week course I recently completed, Coming Home to the Body (from Abbey of the Arts), which was all about getting out of my head and to start listening and trusting my body. One of the exercises involved standing in front of a full length mirror naked. (In the privacy of my home, thanks.) The second came about at the start of Lent when Jennifer Dukes Lee gave up mirrors for Lent . You can read all her reasons at her blog , but this spun out of her writing her just released book Love Idols . Her appearance was an idol and she's giving it up for Lent in order to see herself as a reflection of God. Having just done the course on dwelling in my body, I baulked at this denial of self. (I know, I'm of the monastic bent, but self-denial isn't really my bag.) But maybe this stemmed from my lack of understanding. I look in the mirror to see if I absolut...