{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Lenten Commitment","description":"On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam realizes that he really had no choice over what he gave up for Lent - it was given to him and he's not happy about it.  ----- Our new puppy continues to rule the house and my life. She was trained by the breeder to urinate on a pee pad which is exactly what it sounds like \u2013 an absorbent mat for dogs to urinate on indoors. At our house, that means the carpet. She\u2019ll trot off the hardwood floors, pass the open back door to find the Persian rug and squat and look at me with an expression of \u201clook how good I am!\u201d Meanwhile the whole yard in available to her. Making this a bit more challenging is, as I write this, my wife is in Raleigh with her parents, and my twins are in the throes of their senior year of high school which means friends are greater than puppies. That leaves me. I find myself explaining to the puppy why a yard is better than a rug to leave her mark. Her expression is, well, skeptical. As I write this it is my deceased mother\u2019s birthday, giving me a solemn feeling and I learned today that I had volunteered to spend the night with my father after his knee surgery helping him dress and get to the bathroom and all that. All this leads me to this \u2013 apparently, I gave up happiness for Lent. I don\u2019t remember choosing this. I think it was put upon me by the Almighty. And it has started out strong, I must say. I can only hope it\u2019s easier from here on out. I mentioned my Lenten happiness sacrifice to a friend and he paused and said, \u201cYeah, but Cam, is that truly a sacrifice for you? I mean, is that really much of a change?\u201d which stung a bit and made me unhappy. However, considering that I\u2019ve committed to unhappiness for lent, I thanked him. In order to maintain my commitment, I plan to do the following until Easter: First, I will read the headlines and scroll through social media within five minutes of opening my eyes each morning. This will set the unhappiness expectations for the rest of the day. If something that I\u2019ve seen or read gives me lift, I\u2019ll immediately add flavored creamer to my coffee which will return me to my targeted Lenten disposition. Next, I\u2019ll list all my unachievable goals and list everything I\u2019ve ever wanted to own and don\u2019t own. I\u2019ll read the lists aloud each day. Third, I\u2019ll live in the past and recall my regrets and worry about the future and the bad things that will certainly befall me. That\u2019s a good one. Happiness evaporates when you do that. Works every time. Fourth, I\u2019ll become an Auburn fan. Fifth, I\u2019ll beg my sons to get a haircut. If I run out of ideas and find myself slipping into happiness, there are a few of you I know I can call to get me right. You seem to have mastered unhappiness. Not only are your cups half empty, your cups are full of holes. Normally I avoid you but until Easter, I\u2019ll need your help. I\u2019m Cam Marston and I\u2019m just trying to keep it real. ","author_name":"Keepin' It Real with Cam Marston","author_url":"https:\/\/cammarston.com\/keepin-it-real-with-cam-marston\/","html":"