Abundance and Choices

Just a musing...but for a nation with so much WEALTH and so many options, why are we all so unhappy?

Mardi Gras is a day of abundance in preparation for the observance of Lent. Abundance is not something that Americans are unfamiliar with, however.

It seems that the over-abundance feeds our anxieties. It is hard to feel free among dizzying choices.  Having to make decisions becomes time consuming, as there are countless options to consider. Then it becomes imperative to make the RIGHT decision or the BEST decision...You can see how this would eventually cause stress. 

Is it even possible to simplify? Is it possible to limit the choices that we have, even if done arbitrarily? Will that make us happier, really? 

In the spirit of Lent, I'd like to attempt to live simply for the next 40 days, and hopefully it will stick. (It only takes 21 to make a habit...) I want to see what ways I can cut back and find where over-abundance is causing me stress.  Lent is a time of reflection and meditation, it is a time of trusting God and breaking bad habits and fasting and de-cluttering and abstaining from things that you enjoy but might not be good for you. Or even if they are good for you, they might not be purposeful. Lent might be about re-centering. 

Hopefully I can find freedom within the realm I impose on myself. Now...how to go about that....

Happy Ash Wednesday! What ways will you celebrate Lent?

--Megan