Walk

      "A seripigari said to me: 'Being born with a fice like yours isn't the worst evil; it's not knowing one's obligation.' Not being at one with one's destiny, then? That happened to me before I became what I am now. I was no more than a wrapping, a shell, the body of one whose soul has left through the top of his head. For a family and for a people too, the worst evil would be not knowing their obligation" (215).
     This passage hits rather close to home for me for I have been "a wrapping, a shell" of a man. For years I have wondered about without passion, without a purpose. Once I figured out that I needed more, I needed a story, I needed a passion, I figured out that I was no longer walking aimlessly through life; rather, I had a purpose and reason to walk. I have been the worst student in the past, but I found a reason to change my ways with regards to school. In a few short weeks I will be walking for the final time as an undergraduate on this campus. An end for some sure, but this is a walk which sets me on the path to something new, it sets me on my path to find my obligation.
     While visiting my family this past weekend I realized there is a little Mascarita in all of us. During this trip, I was the storyteller of my studies. I told my parents everything I was going through, every assignment, every obstacle. They listened. That is not how it has gone in the past. It started with my parents telling the story of school and the value in an education. I listened, but I did not hear. I am now not only able to hear, but see what they were wanting me to realize many years ago, so I walk and look at the angles as I pass. I may not know what I will be doing when I get to where I have be going for many years, but I think I will walk and let the answers find me, as they have in my past.
     This is a mask my parents have on their wall. Who knew, without ever hearing of Mascarita they would have a Mascarita mask in their house. The mask has a birthmark, the earth and a bird. It is missing the red hair, but one must believe there is a striking resemblance.