Learning About Chaos and Order at the Feast of Saint Anthony

St. Anthony/Sveti Ante

I am currently experiencing writer’s block (is that a thing, or am I just being lazy?). Anyway, I recalled writing this piece last year and thought I would share. It’s about the Feast of St. Anthony and my learning to navigate the systems in these parts. Both are still relevant. I hope you enjoy the ramble.

Last weekend, I was in Ljubuški for the Feast Day of Saint Anthony of Padua (Sveti Ante). Saint Anthony is the patron saint of lost items (among other things).

The day began with a mass celebrating Saint Anthony at the Crkva sv. Ante Padovanskog Humac -Ljubuški.

The celebrations continued with an outdoor fair which included, among other things, lots of roasted lamb and amusement park rides.

Saint Anthony/Sveti Ante

After mass, my friend and I walked around the street fair.

We stopped at the bumper cars.

While I avoid most amusement park rides, I appreciate the bumper cars. The thought of slamming into another car without serious consequences seems oddly exciting.

Hey, I’m being honest here.

When the bumper cars stopped, I noticed something.

As one group of kids exited the cars, the waiting group jumped onto the metal track in what I can only describe as a ‘survival of the fittest’ moment.

I’m not surprised by much these days, but I did wonder, ‘What is this chaos?!’

I thought to myself: who’s controlling this? Where is the lineup? Where is the system? Where is the order!? How does everyone get a fair shot here?

Bumper Cars

My Canadian way of thinking had difficulty processing the fact that there was no lineup.

A few days later, I laughed while looking through the photos on my phone. 

I laughed because I realized that, as an outsider, I was processing information in a way that made sense to me.

I saw the scene as chaotic. The people in the scene did not.

I’m not here to write an essay on the best way to set up a bumper car ride or the ‘right’ way to do things. 

Not my circus. Not my monkeys.

Instead, the bumper car moment was a reminder that systems and order look different to different people/communities/cultures.

And that to survive and thrive in these parts, I will need to adapt to this culture.

Because if I don’t, well, I might need to call on Saint Anthony to help me recover something I might lose in the process: my mind.

And to be honest, I’d prefer to call on Saint Anthony to help me recover something less significant.

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