Lent disciplines

Lent began five minutes ago. I've had my fill of pancakes and I've used up the last of the fair trade chocolate. When I say used up I mean I've eaten it. So I'm ready to begin forty days of discipline.

With all the new week's resolutions I am trying to keep I'm not going to embark on a long list of Lent disciplines. I'll stick to two.

The first is really hackneyed, but as it happens it is exactly what I need to do to restore some self-discipline into my life. I'm going to give up chocolate for Lent. Let me clarify this. I will not eat chocolate bars, chocolate spread, chocolate biscuits or any puddings with chocolate in. I will allow myself an occasional bedtime Horlicks with chocolate flavouring. The only other two exemptions are Sundays (feast days, not fast days - and not strictly speaking counted in the forty days - Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday (the day before Easter Sunday) comes to 46 days if you include Sundays) and special celebrations where it would be impolite to avoid chocolate (such as chocolate birthday cakes.)

The second discipline is simply that each day I will read (and ponder upon) the relevant pages of my Lent book, The Road to Emmaus, which uses the lives of seven famous Christians as a guide to thought and prayer.

• Outcome: I indulged in chocolate three times - twice due to 'special celebrations' and once in sympathy with S who needed medicinal chocolate to cheer her up. At first I tried to abstain on Sundays too, but from halfway I slipped back to using Sunday as an excuse for feasting not fasting. The book was also a failure if you count the two week gap in the middle, but I did manage to catch up again before Holy Week. Not a daily discipline then, but I reached the end by Easter Monday (today).