Life is a Trip by Fein Judith

Author:Fein, Judith [Fein, Judith]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Pudie Inc.
Published: 2012-09-27T00:00:00+00:00

It didn’t take long to have a Maximon-induced experience in my own life. I have a friend who drinks, pops pills and has done a dance of death with heroin for years. He has been on and off the horse more times than a Pony Express rider. He recently told me about a serious relapse, and as he lacerated himself for his weakness, his worthlessness, and how he disappointed everyone around him, his eyes filled with tears.

I told him about the wooden god in Guatemala who drank and smoked, and how I learned in his shrine that perfection is a crazy dream, an ill-conceived illusion. To inhabit a human body is to be imperfect.

My friend looked at me and said, “There is a little voice that worms its way into my mind every time I give it space. It says ‘you are not good enough’ so often that I have come to believe it. I’m always comparing myself to others, and they always seem to be more productive and successful than I am.”

“Maximon thinks all of that is cabbage!” I said. It came out of me so suddenly that I was surprised. “You have vices and so does he. He accepts people the way they are: imperfect, trying their best but not always succeeding. I can understand why he’s a god in the Guatemalan pantheon. He’s willing to help anyone who asks him, without judgment. He’s not holier than thou and he doesn’t hold up a standard humans can’t achieve.”

My friend exploded in laughter. “Maybe I should keep my eye out for Maximon the next time I’m in a bar,” he said. “He’ll probably order a whiskey and light up a Cuban cigar.”

I recently heard that my friend has sworn off drinking and using again. Far away in Guatemala, Maximon, who is certainly swilling, is also smiling. And if this little-known god can forgive human error, I’m willing to wager that whatever God you pray to can too.

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