Goodbye my love

I haven't "done" anything for Lent in years.  But this year I felt God was telling me to give up Mt. Dew.  It started weeks before Lent, and usually it's like, halfway through Lent when I think,

'Hey, maybe I should sacrifice something for Lent"

Since it came to me so early on, and it kept bothering me, I knew I needed to do it.  I was drinking one 24 oz Mt. Dew a day, which isn't bad, but really, it's not that good, either.  I could go a few days without it and be fine, but since God said to do it, I did. Mt. Dew has been my only source of caffeine for many years, other than a couple times a month I get Starbucks.  I learned a lot in the first week. 

1. I don't drink Mt. Dew for the caffeine.  I'm am morning person - yes, I wake up happy and ready for the day.  I only like to drink Mt. Dew in the morning, preferably with breakfast.  In the evenings when I'm dragging and pleading with God for 8 or 9 pm to get here FASTER, it doesn't usually occur to me to get some caffeine into my system.  Unless I knew I want to stay up late, then, I'd chug it. 

2. I'm not addicted to Mt. Dew.  I never had withdrawal symptoms; never sat there irate and mean because I hadn't had one, or in pain from a headache.  I did, however, on the 4th and 5th days without it, feel really out of sorts and confused.  I did some funny absentminded things, but other than that, the closest I came to cravings was when I would be ordering or eating something I would normally have drank Mt. Dew with, I'd think of it, but it was rather easy.  I'm going to have to clarify that statement.  When I started talking to God about this, I of course asked how was I supposed to do this thing? I was expecting withdrawals, of course. He told me to think of Him whenever I wanted a Mt. Dew.  I also got into the habit of asking myself whom did I love more, a drink, or my Savior?

3.  I drank Mt. Dew for the sole reason that I LOVE it.  That sweet bubbly goodness rolling over my tongue and down my throat...ahhh.  The way it mixes so perfectly with everything I eat...bacon and eggs, pb&j, poppyseed, and most especially, my beloved Taco Bell.  I loved it the way some people love wine.  Which made it a great thing to give up for Lent, because it was true sacrifice.  To me, it's not a sacrfice unless you miss it, and I missed Mt. Dew. 

Did you catch the past tense in that last paragraph?  Yes, we're 3 days after Easter, and I have made a decision.  As Lent came to a close, I wasn't sure I even wanted to try and drink it.  I'll admit, I was afraid.  There were two possibilities: 1 it would taste horrible, or 2 it would taste better than ever.  I didn't know which I wanted it to be.  On Easter Sunday, I had a _very_ small glass of Mt. Dew.  It didn't taste right.  It tasted like chemicals. 

I thought about it, and bought a Mt. Dew yesterday to drink today, just the way I always had.  It still didn't taste as wonderful as it used to.  It also took me most of the morning to drink it.  I thought about just pouring it out, but decided to muscle my way through it.  And wow, it made me feel horrible!  Jittery, sweaty, confused and kinda sick to my stomach. 

And so, I feel that I can now make the well-informed decision to not drink Mt. Dew anymore.  I think I'll allow it now and then, but I don't think it will ever be the mainstay of my diet it once was.  At this juncture, I'm really not that upset about it.  I may be softening the blow by switching back to regular bacon from turkey bacon, but that's purely speculative.