For most people, Lent means giving up things like swearing, meat, elevators and social media. But for three Marquette students, the period of fasting from Ash Wednesday to Easter means being a bit more creative this year.

Hats

Jim Love, a junior in the College of Communication, is a household name to many on Marquette’s campus. On any given day, he can be seen waving hello or chatting with a student or faculty member — with his hat on.

For Lent this year, he’s “going naked,” ditching the hat to eliminate what he called an “addiction” in his life.

“I’ve been a self-proclaimed ‘hat guy’ since about the 6th grade,” Love said. “It’s something of a comfort or security. Lent, at least in my opinion, is all about becoming vulnerable and stepping outside your comfort zone.”

“It’s a great way to deepen your relationship with God,” he continued. “I could think of no better way than giving up a large part of my life.”

Love gave up chocolate milk last year for Lent, another self-proclaimed addiction. But this year is more difficult for him.

“I guess you can say I really went ‘hard in the paint’ for Lent this year,” Love said.

Love said he experiences the temptation to wear his hat every day. He put one on a few days ago in the mirror for “five seconds, and only five,” and he said he felt normal again but then immediately took it off. Besides that, he has not worn his hat for a solid 15 days as of today and feels great about it.

Texting the Ex

A freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences, who wished to remain anonymous, may be on to something when it comes to trying to get over an ex-boyfriend.

For Lent, the freshman decided to stop texting her ex-boyfriend, realizing it would be beneficial and healthy for herself but also difficult.

“I used to text him a lot and sometimes he would be really nice and other times he would be really rude and sometimes he wouldn’t respond at all,” she said. “I thought this would be the best thing because it would be good for me to stop talking to him.”

The breakup came after a two-year relationship and close friendship, the student said.

“We broke (up) because of college and we were fighting a lot,” she said. “I wanted to stay friends with him, and he felt that we should not because I broke up with him and he was a little salty about it.”

Regardless of the circumstances, the student has stayed strong and not given in.

“He has texted me twice, and I just deleted them right away and did something else to keep my mind off it,” she said.

The student said friends and family got a few chuckles out of it but think it is a great idea.

“They all laughed but they thought it was better than giving up chocolate or something that’s not that meaningful,” she said. “Plus, I could never give up chocolate.”

Pizza

Laugh now, but if you lived above Sal’s Pizza in the 2040 Lofts, it would be hard for you too.

Joshua Plier, a junior in College of Business Administration, successfully gave up pizza two years in a row and is now on his third. His reasoning: “I ate too much of it, especially when I didn’t feel like cooking.”

Plier wanted to eliminate one of the unhealthy items he chose to eat, and pizza quickly came to his mind. But this year is different than the last two because he gave in after coming home from work.

“I felt bad,” Plier said. “I just got home from bartending late without eating dinner and one of the limited options was Sal’s.”

Giving up pizza may sound trivial, but Plier said it’s a great meal and fits easily with college life.

“It’s definitely tough to do in a college life because it’s such an easy and delicious option,” Plier said. “Pizza is definitely a craveable option … especially after a night of consuming a few ‘adult beverages’ with no food in the apartment or dorm room.”

In order to succeed, Plier chooses to pursue pizza alternatives.

“I try to resist by thinking about other options that have more nutritional value and give myself a belly tap and ask, ‘Do I really need pizza?’” Plier said.