Welcome to Ash Wednesday and the official beginning of Lent. For all the non-Catholic’s out there, that means your Catholic friends are going to look like they picked up a side hustle as a chimney sweep today.

They’ll probably also be hangry. Oh, and for the next 40 days and nights they’ll be going on some sort of diet in the name of religion.

Personally, as a born and raised Catholic, growing up I was never a fan of giving something up for Lent. I had a tendency to forget my Lenten diet restrictions when ever I was hungry (which was always).

The idea of paying it forward always appealed to me, both during Lent and every day. It doesn’t have to be anything huge. You can try actually making plans with that one friend you’ve been meaning to catch up with. You can give up your seat on the bus, or at least offer.

That way at least someone else benefits, and you may find you get something out of it too. The best part, unlike your 40 day chocolate/alcohol/meat fast, paying it forward can help you and others. Not that your Lenten diet isn’t changing the world.

Basically for the next five and 3/4 Catholics will be piling on an extra couple layers of guilt. So please be patient. Also, sorry in advance.

…just for fun: