Every Writer's Prayer to Senior Sto. Nino

Many of the writers based in Cebu will be away from the computer tomorrow. Tomorrow is the day that the city shouts, "Viva, Pit Senior!" and celebrates Sinulog - the feast of the Senior Sto. Nino. A dance ritual that runs in sync with the beating of drums marks the festival, but the highlight of it all is the Senior Sto. Nino himself - the Child Jesus. 

photo credit: Juily Q of shopaliexpress.com

As one writer aptly blogged, the Cebuano people consider the Sinulog as the finale of the Christmas season. Interestingly, the name of the festival drew inspiration not from the Child Jesus, but from the Cebuano word "sinulog." The latter comes from the root word "sulog" which means (a river's) "current" and which inspired the dance steps of the ritual.

In my years of stay in Cebu, never have I witnessed the Sinulog Festival live. This year would be a little different. Hubby wants me to get up early and attend mass with him. What comes after that yet has to be discussed. The thought of jostling with the throngs of devotees and curious onlookers frightened me.

Yours truly is ashamed to admit it, but here goes: She's a true-blue sinner (and aren't we all). However, my husband has a way of making me feel terribly guilty for missing church and for making my writing tasks the perennial excuse for my delinquency. He says visiting God is of utmost importance.

I think he's right. I've been working extremely hard on a couple of projects but I have been missing deadlines here and there.  Of all the commitments I made, not one - and I repeat, not one at all - earned a badge of punctuality. I miss my speed. Where was the person who could churn out 10 high-quality pages a day? "My new year sucks," I told my mom.

I've seen some of the best writers with the best attitude  succumb to the same sinking feeling of being stuck and having failed. What I've realized today is that I've been trying too hard without asking for a little push from the heavens. PUSH. Yeah, I need a push, but one person corrected me. Ruel, a classmate of mine, said I need to push: Pray until something happens!

So, with that in mind, I'm going to ask the Child Jesus for some pixie dust and a tiny push to steer me back to the right path and at full speed too. Not all writers have the same goals, but at one point, we do pray for the same things: guidance, good health and whatever God considers is best.

I've done my part and I'm leaving the rest to Him.