Today's rambling: Fasting for God?
Written on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2004 at 10:45 p.m.
while feeling a bit

"I'm taking a nap," my roommate announced.

"Whyyy...? It's 10:30," said I in confusion.

"Because I'm eating at midnight," she replied.

I thought maybe she had to wait until midnight to take her pain medication, and she has to have food on her stomach before she can take that. So I didn't really push the issue. But then she informed me that she'd been fasting all day and so she had to wait until midnight to eat.

Again: "Whyyy...?"

"Because God kept me safe when I got in the car with that strange man," she explained.

My mind was thrown back to some old historical romance novel I'd read years ago, in which there was this monk who begged forgiveness from God, and vowed that he would wear a hair shirt (or something like that) for a certain length of time in return for this forgiveness.

See, last night Kristen had been trying to hobble up a hill to our dorm, because she'd gone to a free movie on campus and all the sidewalks and stuff got iced over while she was there. Her friends and her tried to get up this hill, but it was apparently impossible (especially with her broken ankle). So this guy pulled up beside them and offered them a ride. Kristen got in the car after a moment's hesitation, but her friends did not. To me, that was rather inconsiderate (to be mild), but at least the guy was genuine in his offer. Kristen made it back safely.

And now she's fasted today in thanks for being safe.

She's taking this religion thing into the fanatical phase, I believe. If she starts fasting and punishing herself every time God does something good for her, I think she'll be dead or maimed before long. Since when has God wanted us to starve ourselves because we're so thankful to him for something he's done? I realize that some religions do this, but I think it's just ridiculous. If I fasted every time I received a blessing, I'd probably never eat! And yes, it's right of her (in my quasi-religious mind) to be thankful for her safety last night--because something bad definitely COULD have happened--but at the same time...not eating?

LOL, I'll wager she loved it, then, that I was eating oatmeal and chocolate and fast food in front of her.

No WONDER she told me earlier today she couldn't eat that Hershey's Hug I gave her! *shakes head slowly*

My roommate is such a strange bird. I love her gentle, forgiving nature, but I'm not exaggerating when I say I think she's on her way to joining a cult. I don't write down in here everything she does (obviously, hehe), but she's such an impressionable person. Someone could come up to her and say he worships God, and if he's persuasive enough, he could totally have her doing whatever he says. God says we should do something to thank him? Okay, whatever you say!

It's rather disturbing. I'm not going to jump overboard and start telling her to lighten up and stop being a freak (I wouldn't actually call her a freak, lol), but that doesn't mean I can't keep an eye out for her. I don't think there are cults on campus, hehe, but she really is VERY innocent and impressionable (she was sheltered more than I was, I think), and it'd be SO easy to lead her the wrong way, even though she thinks she's going the right way...

Anyway, that's all I felt like ranting about. I think I should go to bed now. I'm feelin' sleeeepy!

Oh, by the way, Kristen's getting much better with the crutch thing. She asks for rides to class in the morning and home at night, which is definitely understandable, but she's speeding around much faster (and needing to stop much less), so that was good to see. No need for me to have worried, lol!