Re-creation

"It is always difficult to give oneself up; few persons anywhere ever succeed in doing so, and even fewer transcend the possessive stage to know love for what it actually is: a perpetual discovery, an immersion in the waters of reality, and an unending re-creation" (Octavio Paz, The Labyrinth of Solitude, Mexican Masks, pg. 42).

The Labyrinth of Solitude is a collection of essays concerning Mexican identity. Paz claims that the Mexican feels a need to protect himself, to build a wall around his inner feelings. However, the fiesta is described as a time when society communes and the Mexican escapes from himself and lets everything out. "It is a true re-creation" (Paz 52). I found it interesting that Paz used the same term, "re-creation," to describe both the fiesta and the feeling of love. While the fiesta is a one time escape, a loving relationship can be an "unending re-creation."

Spencer W. Kimball said, “Love is like a flower, and, like the body, it needs constant feeding... love, also, cannot be expected to last forever unless it is continually fed with portions of love, the manifestation of esteem and admiration, the expressions of gratitude, and the consideration of unselfishness.”

Growing up we had a corner garden where we grew flowers. It took daily care to keep this garden flourishing.

One year, we neglected our garden, and the flowers were all taken over by tall grasses. These weeds block the sunlight, and they steal water and nutrients from the ground. Companionship is the sunlight of life. Paz said love is "an immersion in the waters of reality."  We feel a sense of purpose and joy when we are able to connect with others, and we can come to know ourselves more truly. Shutting out the people around us only inhibits us from growing to our full potential, just as these weeds inhibit flowers.

Once the weeds dominated, we had to spend hours chopping the grass, then covering the roots with newspaper and soil that would smother them. Just like the fiesta is described as a time to let everything out, we had to give our everything to reclaim that garden. 

When we give our garden daily love, the flowers grow to their full potential and are beautiful throughout the season. Every day is a fresh start for them to grow higher and bloom more fully. Each of us needs this re-creation,  this feeling of a fresh start, this nourishment that comes from companionship. When we learn to love others and let others in, our life can continually bloom into something more beautiful and fulfilling.