Fish sticks are gross

Today's the first day of Lent. Ergo, today is the day I start feeling sick when I think about Lent, Fridays and fish sticks.

I know hate is a strong word. But I hate fish. Especially fish sticks. Forever engrained into my memory is the taste and smell of the Friday nights at my mom's house during Lent. Fish. Blah. You'd think she didn't know about macaroni being meat-free.

Actually, we ate that, too. With tuna.

But that's neither here nor there.

I want to know, as a woman who grew up thinking Lent meant giving up stuff your really, really like for 40 long, miserable days, why someone who isn't Catholic would give up meat on Fridays or swear off some other form of goodness for the rest in the best interest of your soul for 40 days.

What's the point if you're not Catholic? I'm not talking from an uber-religious standpoint; I don't mean "Why would you take something so sacred and blah blah blah."

I mean, why would you give something up for Lent if you didn't have to? Why not just give it up, period? Why "for Lent"? Is it because Catholics show a lot of strength and resilience and had great bodies because we gave up candy or meat for Lent? Um. Must not be the same Catholics I'm looking at. No offense, Catholics Erin knows. Or self. No offense, self.

In case you were wondering, I'm giving up fish sticks. For good.