Day 4: Dumb and Dumber?

Two days of snow skiing and a meticulous following of the Ramadan fast.  Yesterday was brutal with no water especially (dumb?).  It was my first time skiing in about 8 years.  On top of that, it is an understatement to say I am not in great shape.  Somehow I managed to make it through Friday though my muscles were calling me various names that are not appropriate for a blog of this nature.  I was back to the condo by 4:00 but couldn't have so much as water until sundown 6:05.  In the meantime I thought I was getting sick . . . felt chilled and an overall achiness.  While some of this was no doubt the result of the skiing intself, it is quite possible that I was a bit dehydrated.  6:05 saw about 4 glasses of water and a bottle of Gatorade go down the hatch in record time.

Today was a bit better.  My brother-in-law and I took a couple of the kids skiing so it was easier going.  The pain from yesterday was catching up to me and I called it a day around 2:00.  Now I am eagerly awaiting 6:07 and some ice cold H2O (dumber?).  Perhaps this whole skiing business without food or water was a bit risky, but I figured, "What the heck."  Those of you who know me could attest to the fact that my idea of doing something crazy is staying up until 2:00am play Rock Band, so I found this to be a risk worth taking.

Since I have a little time right now, here are some general preliminary observations after nearly 4 days:

• A watched pot never boils.  The last hour before sunset is a real killer.  By that time I am very hungry.  To my surprise, however, I have found myself being more thirsty than hungry, but this may be due to the skiing.  Muslim tradition is to break the fast as soon as you can after sunset.  Water seems a healthy and simple way to do that and I think that's what I'll do all Lent.  But more importantly, this hour of anticipation provides an excellent time for prayer.  I shall see how this plays out next week when it's back to the work-a-day routine and especially, cooking dinner.

• Halitosis, anyone?  I never fully appreciated the value of being able to brush my teeth in the afternoon, chew a piece of gum or enjoy a curiously strong Altoid.  Right now my mouth tastes like what I would imagine to be the piquant flavoring of battery acid.  I don't even want to hazard a guess as to what it smells like.

• R-E-S-P-E-C-T.  Not only for athletes who observe the fast during practices or a sports season, but for the average Muslim in the desert climates of the Middle East who must tolerate extreme heat while observing Ramadan.  This year Ramadan will be observed in August.  I would imagine this may be the most challenging time for many to observe the fast given not only the hot temperatures but the long days.

• (Most) People don't seem to think I am as crazy as I am.  I was a little nervous about how my brother-in-law, his wife and her mother (our vacation companions) would react to my fasting.  I braced myself for skepticism and funny looks.  But, I have to say, they are more or less non-plussed.  I can't read their minds, but no one laughed when we stopped for lunch on Friday and I ate or drank nothing.  (I take that back, the waitress at Ole's Big Game Lounge in Paxton, NE looked at me as though my UFO was double-parked outside.)  The jury is still out on what my wife thinks!