Hit the Piñata with Your Eyes Open!

Piñatas have been a part of my life since way back. It seemed you could not have a birthday party in the town of Kingsville, Texas, without a piñata. Pictures of my birthdays show a piñata. We tried introducing that practice to our family, but having done a great job of raising them, they were not violent girls. The idea of using a stick to hit something, especially in the form of a person or superhero was not kosher. And they were correct; imagine having love and respect for Minnie Mouse and then having her appear at your party with the instructions, "Take this stick and hit Minnie as hard as you can!" Wait. What, Dad? Hit. Minnie. Mouse? I think not!

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The piñata is a symbol of a special celebration. It is also a symbol of an opportunity. Those who are familiar with the practice, especially those of us who love candy, know that inside the papier-maché container, in whatever shape it comes in, there's candy! And the only way to get the candy is to hit the piñata; take the opportunity. Yes, the traditional practice involved a blindfold. I've often wondered why did so many childhood activities involve a blindfold? I remember going to parties where we were blindfold, spun around, and then told to "Pin the tail on the donkey!" Wait. What? There's a real donkey here and we're supposed to prick it with a pin? No way, sister! I'm not about to be kicked to the next life by a mistreated almost-horse! And even if led to the paper picture of a donkey, I was not one known for accuracy, especially when I did not know the purpose of the game... The piñata celebration also involved the spinning and blindfolding of children, armed with a stick, and then instructed to swing wildly in the air in hopes of hitting Minnie, Mickey, Batman, or some other object, usually another donkey, to get candy. I remember most kids were allowed to try and hit the piñata until everyone had a turn, and usually no one had hit the thing hard enough to get the candy. And then, blindfolds off, the stick was handed to the biggest kid with the hardest swing. Bam! And the candy would fall to the ground, and the kids would fight each other for the candy. Usually discovering, in those days, that the candy was usually the kind not found on the US side of the border. And once we tasted it, discovered why...

Life and ministry present us with several special celebrations, all of which come with opportunities, and we might discover, if we take advantage of these with good intentions, we might find a special surprise down deep beneath whatever we have encountered. Life does come with some blindfolds, but usually, our eyes can see beyond or through whatever blindfolds folks try to place on us or we place on ourselves. Every opportunity should be a time to enjoy the zest of life and to help ourselves and others discover the pleasant and rewarding substance of joy found in those who seek for it.

copyright 2014 Eradio Valverde, Jr.