For today, a few random thoughts and observations:
- "Blue Jean Buddha": I had a wonderful opportunity to take my World Religions students to a presentation by Sumi Loundon Kim, chaplain for the Buddhist Community at Duke University. The topic was the history of Buddhism in the US and it was an entertaining and insightful talk. The event was sponsored by Project Interfaith, an Omaha based initiative doing magnificent work to promote inter-religious understanding and dialog here in Omaha and beyond. (While by its nature my Lenten Ramadan focuses on Islam, if there is a way other religions and people of good will can become part of this forum, then so be it.) There were many things noteworthy about the lecture, but one thing I found that related to my fast was Sumi's recollection of her father holding a contest for her and her siblings. He challenged them to be silent for one minute and to count the sounds they heard. The one who heard the most sounds in that minute was the "winner." The point being, so often in life we are not fully present in the moment due to the distractions of attachments, anxieties, ego, etc. So far this Lenten Ramadan is helping me to be more attentive to the things and people around me . . . I feel more aware of the moment. Which leads me to . . .
- A beautiful sunrise! Unfortunately, I was so enamored by the sunrise on the way to work that I forgot to take a picture to share. The streaks of pinks and blues and soft whites presented a breathtaking start to my fast today. The beautiful Nebraska sunsets will almost always provide a fitting close. (Below is an example of such a sunset from a couple of summers ago.) God is most certainly good!
- I am not the man I used to be. A few people have asked what effect Lenten Ramadan is having on my weight. I did weigh myself on Ash Wednesday and since it has been a week, I will report that I have lost 3 pounds. According to one website I consulted about how to keep a healthy Ramadan, one should attempt to maintain a constant body weight throughout Ramadan. If one is already overweight, however, it is acceptable to lose weight during the fast. Without going into details, according to the Center for Disease Control I am overweight so whatever happens, happens. I was full last night after eating anyway . . . if I was going to try and maintain my body weight I'd have to gorge myself from sunset until I went to bed and, call me crazy, but that just seems to violate the spirit of what I'm trying to do here.
- Newsflash! I did NOT break the fast yesterday! In yesterday's entry I indicated that I had a particularly difficult time keeping my fingers out of my mouth (at least four times by my count) and then this morning, only 20 minutes after sunrise I caught myself doing the same. Needless to say, my day started out with discouragement. I did some quick research and according to this website, "to eat or drink in forgetfulness" does not constitute a break of the fast. (Although I would imagine that it is quite possible that different Muslim scholars may interpret this rule, as well as many others, quite differently). I can say with total honesty that all my cuticle biting was unintentional and the licking of the tomato from my thumb was force of habit. I feel confident saying, therefore, that through 7 1/2 days I have yet to break the fast (the lone exception being Sunday, the reasons for which I had previously explained in "The Ground Rules.")
- First Growl. It may sound like the name of a horror movie, but today was really the first day I made a mental note of the day's first recognizable stomach growl. It happened at 11:15 when I was listening to Sumi Loundon Kim speak. It's gonna be a long day.
- And finally . . . One may notice that this post is occurring earlier than the others this week. I am going to attempt, when possible, to post at different times of the day. I think I will have a different perspective to offer on the fast if I post during the day, for example, than I would at the end of the day after the fast is broken. Inshallah.
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