There are times when one person’s mundane becomes another person’s meaning.
I returned from my daily walk to be welcomed gleefully by Marilag Tejada Pascual. She asked to shut my eyes and held my hand and guided me from the gate to the front door of the house, and I complied wondering what it could be.
She asked me to open my eyes and I saw a beautiful picture of The Sun with big rays and a happy face, all drawn through the medium of Indian Traditional Art called Rangoli.
I was suprised, as Marilag is relatively new to our household and has only been observing me do some traditional patterns everyday with rice flour outside our door, as a ritual to feed birds and insects. She told me it was her son’s birthday today and she did not know how to express that feeling. She said, “I wanted to do something after I had called my son in Philippines and wished him and the first thing that came to my mind was your ritual and I could draw and express my feelings”.
This was a #littlemeinspiringme moment for me when one culture’s traditions can inspire meaning for another culture. I have been initiated in this art/custom/ritual from childhood and on that day the everyday mundane gave a new meaning to me.
It was a beautiful feeling and feels even more beautiful especially given the global turn of events today. It reaffirms my belief in the deep connection between humans and cultures to bond, bind and beget, united.
