![]() The concept of descansos becomes a metaphor for the interrupted journey and the resulting growth that individuals experience as they progress through life. In response, we pause and engage in self-examination as we endeavor to find answers to the questions that arise– Who is my authentic self? What is my next true step? What do I really accept as true? Our reaction is often to stop, to ponder, to question our identity, our integrity, our framework of beliefs. Or, perhaps we are jolted into introspection as the result of an existential crisis. There comes a moment, precipitated by an event, an emotion, or a thought, when we reencounter ourselves as if viewing self from a distance. Now, to paraphrase Proust, in search of lost time, I must rely on memory. While navigating the passages, instead of narrating them through my writing, I chose silence. In this blog, the reader will note such restings, a putting away of the semiregular posting of my thoughts and words, as I navigated difficult passages in life. ![]() In a similar way, individuals experience personal descansos – resting points – in the life journey between what was and what is to come. Rooted in the culture of Hispanics in the Southwest, one now sees descansos throughout the country, as individuals and families erect crosses, leave wreaths, or in some other way mark where the loss of a loved one occurred along the highway. Thus, they were spaces that interrupted the journey to the finality of death. These originated as a way to memorialize the locations where funeral processions stopped to rest on the journey between church and burial grounds. In effect, if we are successful, we will create a rich tapestry of understanding of ourselves and our need to create those resting places that allow us to integrate life events and to grow from them.ĭescansos is the term used in Spanish for sites along the highway that mark the passing of a loved one. The journey will elicit not only my memories rather, we will tap into voices rooted in the past and present. Emerging from my loved one’s recuperation and a pandemic, along with reducing my professional duties, the call to leave the resting place and begin creative productivity is strong.Īnd so, Dear Reader, we will begin again to examine our Descansos, with an eye to woman’s discovery of self along the way. Any remaining time each day primarily consisted of tending to my practice as a therapist. During that time, caring for a spouse occupied my mind and actions. In truth, the personal descanso from which I presently emerge has been a journey of several years. ![]() …individuals experience personal descansos – resting spots – in the life journey between what was and what is to come. ![]()
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