Beginnings

"Let me begin at the beginning. I do not mean the beginning that was in my dreams and the stories they whispered to me about my birth, and the people of my father and mother, and my three brothers--but the beginning that came with Ultima" (Rudolfo Anaya. Bless Me, Ultima. pg. 1).

In this novel, Ultima is a curandera, "one who cures with herbs and magic." She delivered Antonio into the world, and is a close friend to his mother. Antonio's six-year-old life changes when Ultima comes to live with their family. This is where he begins his story.

We often try to establish "beginnings" and "ends" to things. Some things seem to have definite beginnings and ends. Take for example running a race. All the racers stand at the starting line, and the gun or horn signifies the "beginning."

Starting line at the Top of Utah Marathon

Whenever I cross the finish line in a race, there seems to be a definite "end".

Me crossing the finish line of the St. George Marathon

But if someone were to ask me where the "beginning" was for me, it would be last June, when my husband and I started following a regular training schedule. In fact, I could even say that my "beginning" was in 6th grade when I discovered a love for running.

In our Humanities class, we have discussed the topic of "origins." What are the origins of Latin America? Are they in European conquest and colonialism? Are they in the indigenous peoples? Are they in a certain war or event in history? What about the origins of an individual? Are they in the time they moved to a new city? Are they in the day they were born? Each of these points represents a major change in a life or a society. When I started training for a marathon, I changed by growing stronger and I developing more endurance. After a war, especially a civil war, a country is changed and will often never be the same.

There is a famous quote saying, "The only constant is change." In our lives, there will always be change as a result of our choices and the choices of those around us. Whether we call them changes, origins, beginnings, or ends, they continually define who we are and shape the course of our lives.