It’s beginning to look a lot like … Ash Wednesday around here?
Yes, we know that if you’re liturgically minded, Lent is still more than a month away. (For those who observe the church calendar, happy Epiphany!) But this week I was struck by how much the Christian day of penitence and the season that follows can look like the general observance of New Year’s Day and its season. The parking lots at the gyms are full. The fridges at work are stuffed with salads. The alarms are set just a little earlier. The country is lamenting its sins—well, at least our gluttony during the Christmas season and the toll it took on our waistlines.
Whether you’re still in the middle of your New Year’s self-assessing or awaiting a penitential season, this issue might offer some context. Tobin Grant’s piece on measurements might make you think about that scale you’re stepping on—and what you’re measuring yourself against. Kyle Rohane’s article on synaptic pruning will make you think about how habits and exercises truly become part of you. Fleming Rutledge will remind you that you need a Savior, not a diet. And Ronnie Sirmans’s poem will help you remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return.
Thanks for reading, and happy new year.
