The "lentiest" of them all

Tjo!

Lent 2020 was lit. To say the least. It felt like some Snow White spin-off. One where all my previous Lent seasons had gathered around the mirror asking it which of them had been the most hard core. 2020 won. She is the undisputed champion. She is, by far, the "lentiest" of them all.

I form part of the population who grew up watching Kung Fu, Rocky, Chuck Norris and Van Damme movies. I don't remember much from those story lines. I didn't need to know much. All we were interested in was how our favourites, which we fondly called "istarring", would win over the bad guys. That and trying to remember the moves which we could copy while playing. Yes, I was a bit of a tomboy back then.

I've been thinking a lot about that version of myself. I've been pondering on how she had hope despite how badly her favourite character got a beating. She had hope that they would complete the mission, which was normally some revenge pursuit, and that they won't die. "The starring never dies in a movie. Keep watching", she would tell herself. She never had to think about the characters who had to die when the movie began or those deaths that had to take place in order for the plot to thicken.

I've been thinking a lot about that on the last few days of lent. This thought dawned on me when I felt like I was not a "starring" in my own life. I felt like an extra in a movie. On the surface this was a joke that came up during a few conversations. The reality of the situation is that this "joke" pretty much sums up the lesson I've been trying to avoid all Lent.

My Lent 2020 has felt like a mixture of scripts from so many movie genres. One where a genie grants wishes. One where you make emotional goodbyes. One where you let go of what you've always known to embark on an adventure into the unknown. One where you narrowly escape from being a subject of those murder investigation programs or femicide headlines. So much drama in 40 days!

In the midst of all that an unexpected villain made an entrance to the scene. Yes, I'm referring to the Voldemort that the entire world is facing. Covid-19 makes Thanos feel like a wannabe. It makes me feel like I'm in the middle of a horror movie shoot. Only this time nobody yells "cut!".

Lent 2020 was rough. Life continues to be a challenge. I'm struggling to stomach her lessons. To be honest, I don't think that I've ever been this fragile. The only thing I'm clinging on to now is hope and faith. I'm watching this movie and I keep affirming myself that istarring asifi (the starring doesn't die).They did say that you only need faith as small as a mustard seed. Right?