A Brief Reflection on Lent and "Spring Cleaning"

For many of you, today will be just another Wednesday. If you are out and about, you may notice a number of people walking around with a black smudge on their foreheads and think, “That's odd.” Otherwise, the day will pass much as any other. However, for Catholics and many other Christians, today marks the beginning of the season of Lent and is anything but an ordinary Wednesday.

My purpose in writing this post is not to give you a long history of the practices associated with Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent. For those who are unfamiliar with Lent, or who would like a brief refresher, here is a two-minute video which does an excellent job summarizing Ash Wednesday and the observation of Lent:

My purpose today, is to briefly reflect on some of the aspects of Lent that are applicable to most of us, regardless of our personally held religious beliefs. 

I was raised Catholic and continue to practice my Catholic faith today. As a child, I used to dread the Lenten season. At the time, I thought it meant deprivation, solemn services, and extra church obligations. How greatly I anticipated the arrival of Easter and a return to a “normal” life. 

As a teenager, my view of the season was more superficial and jaded. That view can be summarized in the following way:

I find that meme hilarious now, though I steadfastly believed it for a time.

Today, as an adult and partner in an interfaith marriage, I take a much more nuanced view. I have come to deeply appreciate the season as a time to reflect on my faith life, act more charitably, humble myself, and commit to a personal “Spring Cleaning” of the soul. It is a time that my husband and I make an effort to focus on making changes that will strengthen our family unit and teach our children to love and be kind to others.

Many of the ideas associated with Lent transcend Catholicism. People of all faith backgrounds can benefit from the practices of humility, charity, sacrifice, and self-reflection. How appropriate, therefore, that the start of our month of discussions on topics related to the theme of “Spring Cleaning”, coincides with the start of Lent? 

So, Tell Me About Yourself

August, 2009. It was the first day of Business Communications class. I had heard the class was an easy "A" and was fairly relaxed. My professor walked in the door, introduced herself, and went over her expectations for the semester. After a few minutes, my professor looked straight at me and said, “So, tell me about yourself.” Uh-oh.

I froze. My mind was completely blank. Surely I knew enough about myself to answer such a simple question? But the answer wasn't readily there. I sat quietly for what felt like an eternity. I thought to myself, "Who am I? How do I introduce myself?"

I told her my name, my major, and that I was a varsity lightweight rower. But the answer felt somewhat generic and hollow. I should have been able to say something more profound... more interesting. There was an awkward moment where I felt I should add more. But I had no idea what to say. To fill the void I asked, “What else would you like to know?”

My professor smiled and said, “If I do my job this semester, you will no longer need to ask me that.” She was right.

One of the first skills I learned in that class was how to handle introducing myself in many different environments and circumstances. No longer did I feel that sense of dread when someone uttered the phrase, "So, tell me about yourself." I was given a useful tool to guide my responses, and I relished it. In the business world, this tool is often referred to as your “Elevator Pitch”.

An elevator pitch can be described as a 30 second response to any situation which requires an introduction. Every business student is taught that an effective elevator pitch can make or break a future job prospect, promotion, sale, or valuable relationship. The most effective introduction will not only address who you are, but will also explain why a person should be interested in what you have to say. It will highlight your strengths and give your audience just enough interest to warrant further conversation and a deepening of the relationship. With practice, a carefully crafted elevator pitch becomes second nature and is a useful tool in a variety of circumstances.

In life, we are not often afforded an extended period of time to make an impression and introduce ourselves. First impressions begin to settle almost immediately upon meeting someone. Life is busy. The opportunity to make a connection may be as short as an elevator ride from the first floor to the fourth, if not shorter. We must, therefore, be able to introduce ourselves fully and succinctly within the limited time we have available to us.

I wasn't initially sure how to frame my introduction to you today. I didn't know what I wanted to say or how I wanted to say it. I had no idea where to start. Then, it hit me!

While an introduction written for a blog is very different from an introduction given in person, I feel there is a lot of applicability in utilizing this handy tool my professor gave me almost a decade ago...

Without further delay, I give you my "Elevator Pitch":

My name is Rosemary. I met the love of my life in 2007. We were married in 2012 and life has since carried us in directions we could not have fathomed when we first met. I’m currently a full-time stay at home mother to two beautiful little girls, who are truly my world. When I am not devoting myself to the needs of my family, I am active in my church - running the nursery program and teaching Sunday preschool classes. I have a broad range of interests. These include music, the arts, reading, outdoor adventuring, fitness, history, economics, food, DIY projects, traveling, college football (O-H!), and whatever random tidbit happens to catch my fancy on a particular day. I am a student of life and seek to continue learning about myself and others through shared and differing thoughts, experiences, struggles and successes. I am truly honored to be a regular contributor to this blog, To Each Their Own. I sincerely hope that, as we begin this journey together, we might form a strong and beautiful community; a community which thrives on openness, acceptance and diversity of thought and experience.


Thank you for reading this post and being a part of our community! I can't wait to see where this blog takes us!