Marriage Moats- Go Fly a Kite
Published: Wed, 06/20/12
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 There is a video called Flying Paper that chronicles child refugees in Gaza flying kites together. Their lives are difficult, that is if I can trust the yardstick of stability, safety and second helpings at lunch. The sight of hundreds of children whose entire lives have been drenched in despair, holding their eyes to the colorful sky carries me above my mundane complaints as well. They hold onto hope with a slender string.
In Gaza 80% of the people live on $2 a day and the unemployment rate is 40%. Even a day I might be whining about a broken dishwasher, ridiculous traffic and exorbitant gas prices would be exponentially better than a Gaza child's most extravagant Christmas morning... except that they don't celebrate Christmas.
I suppose there are people who look at the conflict in the Middle East and shake their heads.
"Get over your differences, dudes. The fighting has gone on long enough. No one is winning and everyone is losing. Do any of you even remember what you are angry about? Lay down the weapons and build a new way of coexisting."
I wonder what it would be like for a middle class couple from the burbs who cannot tolerate their marriage anymore to spend a week in Gaza.
The other day I heard a four year old telling his friend why his mommy and daddy are getting divorced.
"He doesn't do enough dishes and he is messy, so he has to live somewhere else," he said over peanut butter and cookies.
Sometimes I operate under the illusion that life is supposed to be easy, predictable and comfy. But some of life's most cogent lessons only grow in rocky soil.
Photo by Chara Odhner
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