The other night while chatting with my host mom in the kitchen, I flipped the wall calendar to July and, admittedly, counted the number of days left.I lifted my gaze to the image for the month, a baby panda bear lazily hanging over a tree branch, paws dangling down and eyes closed in absolute contentedness. Below the image was the word “patience” and a Bible verse from the book of Lamentations: “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.”
This seems to be the ideal theme for me for the coming month as I feel anything but patient, wrestling with how to not wish this time away.
I started the week in good spirits, ready to travel to Huancayo for our last retreat with all the YAVs. But by mid-morning Monday, I learned that everything was on hold as there was a road blockage, caused by a labor strike, along the main highway from Lima.
Worker strikes or paros are common and usually involve miners demanding improvements in working conditions, this time in the mining town of La Oroya. The strikes usually end after one or two days, as staple goods such as chickens, rice and sugar, not to mention people, need to be transported from Lima to the provinces.
Worker strikes or paros are common and usually involve miners demanding improvements in working conditions, this time in the mining town of La Oroya. The strikes usually end after one or two days, as staple goods such as chickens, rice and sugar, not to mention people, need to be transported from Lima to the provinces.
As the paro continues indefinitely, I realize how easily one can feel isolated in the middle of the Andes. I can't help but feel stuck, anxious and simply inpatient.
My complaint is a minor inconvenience compared to the more severe disruptions others are experiencing. However, it is enough to hold me still and make me reflect on where I am.
While I struggle with a sense of restlessness, I look to the moments during this year when I felt utterly content, like the sleepy panda bear in the kitchen calendar.
One such moment was a few weeks ago when another volunteer visited from Lima. We rode out to the ruins at Kotosh along with my host sister and explored the Temple of the Crossed Hands.
In my previous visit, I had learned that one of the stones outside the temple has a body-shaped indent, meant for someone to lie in. The idea is to soak up the available energy in the atmosphere, meanwhile basking beneath the sun.
In my previous visit, I had learned that one of the stones outside the temple has a body-shaped indent, meant for someone to lie in. The idea is to soak up the available energy in the atmosphere, meanwhile basking beneath the sun.
We each took a turn laying in the body mold, having our moment with nature. As I settled down and closed my eyes, the warm surface of the rock infused all its goodness into my back. I felt the mountains surrounding me and the presence of my friends enjoying the moment in their own way.
I stretched out my arms and, in the most concrete way possible, I felt unquestionably content - waiting for nothing, expecting nothing and all the more ready to experience everything… in G-d’s time.
G-d’s time – that progression of life that has so little to do with our plans yet has so much to do with us.
A few years ago my mom’s friend gave me a box of jewelry she no longer wanted. One of the items was a watch with two faces, each with its own battery and ticking hands. It was so unusual that I hung unto it, but never ended up using it.
Since my current watch has taken a beating this year, and with it my own conception of time, I plan to start using the double-windowed watch when I'm back home.
It is a tangible reminder that there are two hour glasses, mine and G-d’s. And the more I accept G-d’s timing the more content and patient I will feel.
It is a tangible reminder that there are two hour glasses, mine and G-d’s. And the more I accept G-d’s timing the more content and patient I will feel.
