a little [big easy] a little [lent]

last tuesdsay was "fat tuesday", the day before lent begins. now it's relatively known that new orleans is the place to be for a real mardi gras celebration, but being that it's a tuesday night, and live no where close to the city, i decided to see what wichita had to offer. as it would turn out a local bar in town, was going to have a zydeco band play, as well as serve specials on gumbo and hurricanes. feeling like that would be a "happenin" scene, i decided to partake, and thankfully a few friends decided to go as well.

the night started with some delicious cajun gumbo, and hurricanes. we had barely finished our meal, before the zydeco band started wailing! after a few minutes, the place was full of people dancing and swinging to the sound of "the mudbugs!" hanging out, chatting, dancing, and discussing camera's, turned a regular weeknight into a very enjoyable evening!

for many out there, it would have been a night out listening to a band with a washboard, but the other side of this celebration, makes it even more richer.

the next day, i attended ash wednesday mass. with it's location to downtown, i attended mass in the cathedral, which has a space, designed perfectly for reflection and thought. after receiving the ashes on my forehead, and visited one of my favorite local dives for lunch. the wichita fish company. as it was an amazingly beautiful day i sat outside on the patio. it was obvious from the line of people, that today's business was a little higher then normal, as i'm sure most local catholics swarmed to it. as i sat there, enjoying the weather, reflecting, eating my fish, i could feel i was in the presence of a lot of catholics, the ash on all the foreheads also was a clue, i realized that i was experiencing one of the meanings of lent. it's not so much about "sacrifices" as it is to know you were apart of a community. something larger then yourself. although i didn't know anyone else on the patio, i felt i was apart of them.

both experienced were so different, and yet very similar. it's about being a part of that community, whether it while enjoying flailing fiddle's or fish fillets, with people i knew or had never met. the company during both was enjoyable and refreshing.