Date: Sunday 03 August 2014
Location: Bidwell’s Mill – Chico, CA
Yet another attempt to fast for a day…this time, I achieved 21 straight hours. Insha’Allah I will be accomplishing longer and longer time-spans as the weeks progress. I have found in my trials that fasting is a lot more difficult of a task than I previously realized. Growing up an active Roman Catholic, as a young woman, I prided myself on being an avid faster. Any time the Pope made a declaration that a fast was to be observed in consideration of a world tragedy or to create mindfulness of a holy day, I was glad to be eligible for fasting. A couple of times, I can even remember fainting. On one such notable occasion, I was menstruating. I recall accompanying my younger sister to the doctor for a blood draw. The thing about fasting, is that it should always be preceded with special preparations and guided purpose/self-discipline. The Catholic church doesn’t require fasting while a woman is menstruating. It does, however, encourage the participation in a fast when a person is considered healthy. I took the loophole and considered myself healthy. I didn’t, however, anticipate the level of exertion on the mind from a healthy body when it comes to a hot day of high school P.E. classes WHILE fasting, WHILE on your period.. So, needless to say, when the needle came out, I was already a little bit queasy. Not that I needed any help being nervous around needles in the first place, but when it came to the inept nurse sticking the needle in my sissie’s arm and missing the vein, only to attempt to use the pump to suck blood out of a DRY spot of flesh in the crook of my sister’s inner elbow (much to her distress), if there was any ounce of non-revulsion in my intellect, I lost it. I announced my newfound tendency toward fainting to the tiny room and slumped to the ground while the inexperienced nurse panicked. It was quite the memory. ^_^
In any case, since those adolescent years, I haven’t
Articulated Jargon 