A Deep Sigh
Jacarandas, Lent, and the Stress of Life
This past week was extremely busy. I did not have time to write down ideas or stories for this Substack. So, I am doing my best right now, just some hours before you get to read my weekly posts.
This is one of my favorite seasons in Guatemala City. The Jacarandas are in full bloom. The city dresses with the colors of lent.
This week, we started lent. I really wanted to go to my church’s Ash Wednesday service. I didn’t. I couldn’t bring myself to face the brutal traffic of Guatemala City on a highly observed religious holiday. I was not able to muster my energy after sitting through long waiting lines and undergoing a bureaucratic process that stripped me down to being half naked at some point (not a metaphor). As I went through that, and I had the final response that my family and I awaited for five years, I had no energy to sit through mass and be reminded of my mortality. I felt mortal already. I felt the ashes and dust to my core.
So, this week. I just want to acknowledge that times are tough. We are stressed. Life feels heavy at times. We are mortal. And that is the reminder of what being human is.
As we enter the season of lent, let’s be reminded of our humanity.
I will be working on some ideas for the upcoming weeks. Thank you for being part of the community around A Human Catechism.