That month...

It's that time of the year. No, not the season of snow and Christmas carols, although the weather is cooling down considerably. No, it's the month of fasting, that one time of the year that I don't get marriage proposals... well, except for that one.. but really, that's pretty great. Instead, I get another annoying question:  ARE YOU FASTING?

This question comes any time I'm out of the house. I go to the neighbor's shop to buy garlic and another neighbor asks "So, are you fasting?"

I go to exercise with friends and random people on the street ask as I go "did you fast today?"

Or there's my other favorite-- "Are you fasting? You're not able to, are you?" Gosh is it easy to get defensive on that one. But how do you compare fasting for multiple days but still consuming water vs. breaking the fast every night but dehydrating your body every day? Are we racking up points for how "righteous" our fasting is? Father, protect me from spiritual pride....

Yesterday I was in a taxi and a man leaned into the window to yell in my face "Did you fast today?!" The chuckles of the taxi driver reminded me that no, that sort of treatment wasn't exactly normal. Yet it feels pretty normal right now.

These days I don't normally answer the question. For some it's a conversation starter, so I jump into a conversation on fasting and why different people fast. For others it's curiosity-- what's the white girl doing? And others just ask as I wander down the street, "How's Ramadan?" to which I invariably answer, "good!"

For you it's June. For us it's Ramadan. Imagine as you walk down the street today that everyone around hasn't had food, water, or cigarettes since before sunrise. That's the daily reality here.