One Week Down, Five To Go

Not officially until 6½ hours from now, but it's been about seven days since I last did anything sexual or looked at any sexual erotica. This is the Lent to end all Lents, minus the religion, of course. (No sacriligious offense is meant by the comparison with Lent. I'm clearly intent on comparing this act of mine with the "pseudo-Lent" behavior of children and young adult Catholics who give up much more unimportant and easy-to-give-up things.) But yeah, back to the point: I hope that my experience will have some impact on you. Keep in mind that "the night is young," so to speak, and I still have a good solid five weeks to go. And keep in mind that temptation lies around every corner -- from a young man offering to scan very hard-to-find doujinshi for me that he bought just for me!! :O when he walked through Akihabara yesterday afternoon and remembered my request on a webforum we both go to, to a gorgeous Hispanic girl of about 19 to 22 years of age that I kept bumping into yesterday and who happened to be wearing a low-cut emerald fuzzy sweater-blouse to showcase her rather nice boobs -- so yeah, this is by no means a said-and-done deal, but ...

... I'm pretty confident that the only reason I'll succeed or fail at this point is my own decision-making power and that's it. That knowledge alone is a REALLY powerful encouragement, because it makes me feel ashamed/disgusted to even consider dropping out: I really, really want to prove to myself and to the world who'll listen that I'm not a man who doesn't even have the power to control himself. I am a man completely in control of myself. I choose when and why and where to eat, to sleep, to dream, and to engage in sex. I choose it: it doesn't choose me.

Edit: If you believe in providence, then how's this for encouragement? "Don't lose!" Makenaide! :) Duly noted, ZARD. Rest in peace. I shall not lose: 僕も負けない！絶対勝つ！ Youtube recommended this old favorite to me this morning. :)

(OCD Japanese note: the better English contextual translation is probably "Don't give up!" but 諦めないで, akiramenaide, is technically the Japanese way of saying that. 負ける is the verb "to lose" and 負けないで therefore when read as the imperative literally reads "Don't lose!")