More Lenten Games...

:::Listening to "Gore Veil" by The Deadly Snakes:::

As one of my students recently brought to my attention, many songs seem to go with certain scenes in our lives. Examples could be multiplied to illustrate this. So be forewarned that to appreciate the fullness of this post, a reader should surf over to radio3.cbc.ca and tune in this wonderful song. You might want to read the previous post for some sense of what I am getting at. Blaise Pascal would like this post...I think.

So today I rode my 23km route along River Road to further my ascetic approach to life. And as I was riding along, I thought to myself, "this ride is killing my arse" and "what a game life is"; also the irony of my lenten struggles gave me time to laugh and cough at the recent struggles my wife and I have been through. So in the suffering of a woeful arse and a sadly depleted lung volume, I had to smile at my lot. I have had two bikes stolen, a car stolen and found, a huge income tax payment all come upon me in the last two weeks. What kind of game is this? And make no mistake it is a game: and I must play. So until I lose my ability to choose, I will play the game. And today I learned about the importance of smiling in the game.



The game has been rolling since my birth, but today I realized that I have been thrust into this game without my choice. This caused me some initial agitation, but the fact remains: I can now. I have no choice but to play the game now; even choosing not to play would be how one would play. Thus today I played the ascetic game and I did battle against some badass demon or demons; and today I know I made some progress for I heard him whince as the blade of my smile went "KUNCH" into his thigh. For you must understand that I learned a small truth today about my enemies: that laughing in the face of woe frustrates the demon a little. For what are we for but to take joy and smile at things? It is important to bear in mind the correlation between smiling and joy. They seem to be linked like people and love; for without other people how could we love? So without joy how could we smile? As we were created for joy, so we are meant to smile at the experience of joy however faint. Accordingly that is the whole point of the game and the badass demons don't want us to do what we are created to do. I found it to be quite simple in that one moment of clarity while my saddle-sore arse was complaining and my lungs wanted more air: I played my trump card. I thought to the demon: do as you may, give it your best, but today I laugh at you, at your attempts to make me give up, for today I will smile back at you and chuckle as I keep peddling, I will die laughing if it comes to that. Yes, I know you have had your way with me before, but not today...not now. I laugh at whatever you bring, even a flat tire: I will carry this brand new bike over my shoulders and I shall run...today I smile back at you, today you have no sting that will bring me down.

Simple as it may seem I did laugh and smile all the way home.

So tomorrow I am going out again to face my demons on my blue two-wheeled stallion. Of course I know they will regroup and attack me differently...but can't I learn to laugh at the misfortune they may test me with on another beach head of my life? I shall see and I may fail indeed; but today I smiled at woe, even at death: there is only one cure for annoyances, things that irritate, depress you --- smile right back at them and refuse not to laugh. Remember the game and fight against those who would keep us from smiling. I will remember what I am made to do.

I will try to keep these things to mind during the rest of this particular part of the game called Lent.