Lent 2026 (Better Late Than Never)

It’s Lent 2026! Here! We! Go! Or … here … we … went.

I’m writing this 10-days into Lent 2026 and, ahem, I’m off to a slow start (slow start = haven’t started). I haven’t listed my ridiculous Lenten promises and give-up’s (called “Penances,” I think). I haven’t cross-referenced my New Year’s Resolutions against my past Lenten promises (successes and failures) and as of writing this … it’s been 10-days of Lent and I’m finally getting around to getting started.

“Write the Ending First.”

That’s from Tish Rabe and her interview on Tim Ferriss’s Podcast. She was a writer and contributer in the early days of Sesame Street and while her goal was to write music and sing professionally, she said “yes” when they asked her to write a book and since then, she’s written 300+.  Something she said she learned early from other writers at the time was this . . . 

“Write the story’s ending, first.”

I’ve never thought of things that way when writing or anything else. I think I love the thinking-about the thing, I like the process, I like the journey … but maybe I have so many unfinished projects and unrealized dreams because I don’t “write the ending.”

With Lent, and my late start, I’m going to write the ending…

• 10 Pounds lighter
• A New Habit: Non-negotiable 5:30 a.m. Wake-Up with :30-Minutes of Exhaustion and Heavy-Breathing
• 40 Consecutive Days of Blog Entries and Writing

For this Blog Entry, I’m going to write the last sentence, first…

• Life is really just a series of mistakes followed by course corrections until we get it right. Here’s me, course correcting and getting Lent right.

I hate to admit it, but there’s a long list of stuff in my life I wanted to do. Started to do. Then, because it wasn’t going exactly to plan and because everything wasn’t perfect, or because some other stuff derailed the plan … I stopped and never went back to that thing.

• 4 books (aka my writing hobby/dreams)
• My salsa business
• Weigh 155 pounds
• Understand money and be smart with money

I think excuse-makers (I’m loooking in the mirror, trust me) say things like, “I’m afraid of success,” or, “that ship has sailed,” or, “some things I couldn’t control,” or, “it’s too late,” but I haven’t gotten to excuse-making, yet. I blame one thing … me. 

I also know this . . . life ain’t over. Some things I regret not doing were sacrificed for amazing things I was doing…

• Coaching all my kids soccer teams and some baseball teams
• Playing tag at the park with my kids sooooooo many evenings
• Performing at The Moth 5 times (and winning once)
• Trying Stand-Up Comedy
• Trying Improv Comedy
• Getting paid to write things and ghost write things
• Having a great lawn and beautiful home I love living in
• Somehow being married for 28+ years and having a BLAST
• Raising 3 incredible kids
• Navigating a career and being successful enough to have a shelter, food, and just a little bit extra every now and then for fun or dumb stuff

I’m 52 years old. I don’t feel old. And I think about what I’ve done from age 30 until 52 and if I don’t think about what I didn’t do or quit doing, I’m actually pretty proud.

And so it goes for Lent 2026. So what if I’m starting Lent 10-days into Lent?  Lent is like life … life is really just a series of mistakes followed by course corrections until we get things right. Here’s me, course correcting and getting Lent right.