Each year at this time, I torture both my family and friends with my cries for the loss of the things I give up for Lent.  The one year I gave up cheese was truly the hardest year ever! Even worse than when I was a kid.  I always give up chocolate so that’s become easy.  This year I intended, note I said intended, to give up pizza and wine.

My friend Heather said to me, “have you done something we all don’t know about that you feel you need to suffer by giving up THREE things?”

And that got me thinking.

Today is day 5 of both Lent and the sentence I have been given in this bright red cast.  I went to Ash Wednesday Mass with my mother hedging my bet before heading off to the orthopedic doctor.  Not so lucky, now as it stands, I have 40 days of Lent and 35 days in this cast.

That being said, I can live without the chocolate. I can live without the pizza. But I cannot live without wine.  My friend and co-worker Jim who knows me quite well told me wine is like a prescription for what ails you.  Being Italian and drinking wine since I was a child, I would have to agree. My grandfather lived well into his nineties drinking red wine. I like how he thinks so Friday night, my dear friend Prosecco and I got reacquainted! Ahhh.

I am not usually weak when it comes to giving up something I love for Lent. But this year, it got to me. Maybe it’s because I can’t dress myself, flatiron my hair or make my own lunch? Now on the flip side, I also can’t fold laundry, wash a dish or walk poor Izzy in the cold! I have almost fallen down the stairs carrying my bag, dropped Izzy when trying to get her up on my lap and I have almost broken my nose twice in the middle of the night turning over and hitting myself in the face with this cast….no lie. This morning at the gym, I had to ask Megan to help me get my iPod on my arm and let me tell you, Zumba with a cast is a trick, but the treadmill is actually scarier!

All things being equal, this broken thumb will not kill me, and although it feels like  a lifetime, it will be done within the month. Sorry, though, in this case, a nice glass of Chianti  is a prescription and it is just what the doctor ordered.