Water, water, every where,

And all the boards did shrink;

Water, water, every where,

Nor any drop to drink.”

— Samuel Taylor Coleridge

That passage, from Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner, is pretty much the opposite of my Lenten experience so far. Yes, there has been “Water, water every where,” but there has also been plenty to drink. I’ve been having quite a bit of water (and juice, lemonade, iced tea, and such) as part of my commitment to not drinking any soda this Lent, and it actually hasn’t been too bad.

What has started to kick in, though, is the realization that Coke, Pepsi, and the like had become akin to water for me. The first few weeks of Lent, I felt like that Ancient Mariner in the poem, surrounded by “water” but with none of it fit to consume. Looking back (and still struggling to keep up my personal soda ban) I’ve come to realize just how often I’d grab a glass or can of soda without even thinking about it or considering an alternative, because I was thirsty and that’s what was around.

Looking forward toward the end of Lent (Easter’s only a few weeks away!) I can honestly say that I think I’ll be drinking less soda after this Easter, if not completely cutting it out of my diet. Maybe this can be a starting point for me to start looking for other things in my life that I take as “givens” but are actually sort of unnecessary. At the very least, it’s a step in the right direction.

Are there any things in your life that you could cut down on? Any bad habits you’re looking to change? Do you plan to cut these out of your life? How? Let us know in the comments!