It was Ramadan again!

From an outside viewpoint the entire Thanksgiving to New Years time must seem pretty strange. One holiday after another blending in to a smooth commercialized campaign that runs for months.

That said, Ramadan is strange. A month of fasting during the day. No water, no food from very early (like 4am) until sundown (6pmish). Its hard. But the fast breaking is a riotous affair, with sugar and fattening foods proliferating. Its easy to see how some people put on weight during this holy month.

Im not fasting this year. I tried some last year, found it didnt strike a cord with me and did not see any reason to give it another go. Im not sure what I expected last year. Did I seek salvation, or a feeling that I was paying off some penance? Did I think it would help me grow closer to a higher power? Or closer to my town? I felt hungry and thirsty, but that is about it. People in town still like to ask me on a daily basis if I am fasting, I think for children it is just another way to be reminded of the infidel that lives down the street.

Being a luner month, a person can keep watch each night for the progress. I have never seen the moon wax and wane so slowly in my life.