Guatemala: Monotony

I’m in the garden. Every morning. I’m pulling weeds. Possibly the same ones I pulled yesterday. Sometimes I’m tending to the coffee seedlings. Maybe I’m shoveling some dirt. Or pulling dead leaves off the carrots and radishes. I arrive at the same time. Leave at the same time. Take the same break. See the same people. The conversations seem to be the same. Even the jokes are the same. It’s monotonous.

But what if I said, that that’s okay. That in fact it’s actually been something beautiful, this monotony. I could retell the above description, in a different way—a way that could possibly reveal something extraordinary.

Every day the sun rises and sets. There is light and there is dark. The moon revolves around the rotating earth, another day gone by. The earth moves around the sun, another year gone by. The four seasons are planted, blossomed, harvested, and fallowed once again. This doesn’t change. Its purpose is always the same. Its rhythm is monotonous. But how many poems, songs, stories, and Classics have been written about the beauty, power, and mystery of these monotonous celestial movements. They give life, cause the tides, and harbor humanity. Therefore, couldn’t it be said that from this monotony comes something extraordinary.

So let me start again, let me retell you…

I’m in the garden. Every morning. And do you know what views constantly surround me? Do you know what I see? Mountains. Volcanoes. Old and twisted trees. Light and shadow on the mountainside. Flowers. Blue skies. Clouds. All of this passes before my eyes. Constantly. How monotonous!

I’m pulling weeds. Possibly the same ones I pulled yesterday. And do you know what’s beneath my hands? Do you know what I touch? Creation. My hands work the soil, taking care of the seeds that sustain us. I’m weeding the dirt. Touching the cool, damp earth. Touching life. All morning long. How monotonous!

Sometimes I’m tending to the coffee seedlings. And do you know who’s affected by this delicate work? A family. Someone else’s livelihood. The Mission gives these seedlings out to families in need; the families harvest the red coffee beans, and sell them back to the Mission (which pays better than Fair Trade); for many, this is a main source of yearly income. The meticulous care of the coffee seedlings teaches me patience, humility, and solidarity, over and over again. How monotonous!

Maybe I’m shoveling some dirt. Or pulling dead leaves off the carrots and radishes. And do you know what I’m doing? The same thing many Guatemalans do. Every day. Three-hundred some days a year. Year after year. Preparing the ground. Planting the seed. Helping something to grow. They live close to the Earth. Their history is one of respect and revere for Mother Nature. Every day they remember what She gives…and what She can take away. How monotonous!

I arrive at the same time. Leave at the same time. Take the same break. See the same people. The conversations seem to be the same. Even the jokes are the same. And do you know what we talk about? Do you know what I hear? Their story. They mostly talk about work and the things they have to do. They don’t talk about traveling, dancing, the book they just read, or the movie they just saw. But they talk about how the harvest will be. Or how someone is donating money so their son can go to school. They talk about the other things they do to make money to provide for their family. They talk about death, sickness, and loss. They share their struggles. Silence lingers for a while after these conversations. But then soon a familiar joke will be told. And everyone will be laughing. Just laughing and laughing. They won’t stop laughing. How monotonous!

It’s monotonous. But couldn’t it be said that life’s a routine. That we did yesterday what we’re doing today and what we’ll do tomorrow. If we don’t like routine, if we scoff at monotony, then what else do we think life is. We each have our own kind of monotony. But perhaps within the monotony of our work and daily lives is something extraordinary to discover.

It is through work that human beings both shape and build the world. We are stewards of creation. Our work, however humble, is important. It is how we develop ourselves, our society, and our world. And the monotony of our work and life is needed. Because often we don’t learn so quickly. It often takes a lifetime just to learn a few wisdoms from our monotony.