A Special Experience of Humilty

I had an experience today that I thought was worth sharing. It truly has me looking at life, my life, a little differently. My friend, Tío Marcel, who grew up in San Lucas Tolimán offered yesterday to go fishing with this morning and to show me a good spot to fish at Lago Atitlán. At seven o’clock we set out and he guided me through the trails, coffee fields, and a small jungle until we reached the special spot. I began fishing and noticed that he didn’t bring a pole or any fishing line. I asked, “Are you fishing?” He stated that he looked for his gear (An old soda can, line, and a few hooks) but couldn’t find them, but he was content just watching me fish. After an hour or so I decided that I would stop fishing since I felt a little guilty fishing alone, although he didn’t seem to mind. My last cast I snagged my lure on the reeds about twenty yards from the shore. I tugged on the line and eventually the line broke from the lure. My friend asked, “Do you want to swim and get the lure?” I responded thinking it was just a 10 cent lure, “No, I’ll just let it go.”

He immediately took off all his clothes, except his underwear, and swam out to the reeds, detached my ten cent lure, and swam back to me to return it to me. He didn’t think twice about what he did.

Walking back to the house I thought about his generosity, waking up early to guide me to a fishing hole when he couldn’t partake in the fishing, and how he jumped in a cold lake to retrieve my ten cent lure while thinking nothing of it. I pondered my life, how generous I am, or am not, and how wasteful I truly am. Thank you God for Tío Marcel, for the experience today, and for opening my eyes.