It's that wonderful day of the year where we can let loose and not have a care in the world as to what we do. Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday are among some of the names for this famous day, this day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.

What does one do on Mardi Gras? I've never actually been to a Mardi Gras celebration (not even to the one held in O'Neill) so I can't give any detailed descriptions … I mean, there's a typically a lot of carousing, drinking, eating, lots of beads and plenty of costumes, glitter and masks. It's pretty much a day to go all out and let yourself go, not worry about anything, because the next day is Lent and (at least if you're Catholic) you're supposed to give something up, whether it's a physical thing or a part of who you are that you'd like to give up by changing it.

Why do we go to such lengths to party our hearts out on Mardi Gras? Do we have this fear that this will be the last time we will be able to party like this? We gorge ourselves on Fat Tuesday, not caring how much we eat or what we waste. We permit ourselves to be gluttons for one day, and then fast and abstain for 40 days. I'm sure that the dining halls will have their fill of festivities for today. Lots of meats and sweets will fill the plates of many students today, woefully anticipating the empty dining halls tomorrow, where there will be no meat at all.

Is it just me, or does this seem way too much in the physical world? Why do we have Shrove Tuesday if not to prepare us for Lent and, then, Lent prepare us for Easter. How would a day that is associated with feasting and fullness prepare us for something that appears desolate?

I believe that today, Shrove Tuesday, is meant to show us all the good things that we have and that we should appreciate them while we have them. It is the calm before the storm. The good, the wonderful things that are there before you go into desolation and draught. You know what you have: you see it, feel it, taste it, touch it, hear it. And now that you know what you have, you can hold onto it, even if it is just a memory of the good things and times you've had.

Lent is a time of reflection and self-sacrifice, giving more than receiving. It is in the times when we think things will be hardest to carry out, deep in the middle of Lent on Laetare Sunday, that we will be asked to remember the good things that we have in our lives, the good times we had with our friends and family. The fullness of life that we have experienced will be a source of that gladness, of that hope in the darkness. That is what today is. It is the preparation we make to give us hope when the fields lay fallow. There will be abundance again, and it shall rise with the Easter sun. Rejoice for we have much to prepare and much to hope for in the weeks ahead. Today is our food for tomorrow. Enjoy it, drink it in, savor it. It will be your sustenance while you prepare for the Lord's coming on Easter.

• Let it all out