asphalt and ritual

Dear Wisdom, they are paving the roads for your arrival...you and Mardi Gras (Carnival). Carnival is in Cap Haitian this year February 10-12, 2013. This is the second year that National Carnival is held outside of Port au Prince. I've heard some folks are renting their houses in Cap for $3000 for three days. We're not going to pave our house for you but we're getting a ceramic floor put in on top of the cement. We're also taking you to all the rah rah bands we pass by. We're scooping out a second solar panel. We're brainstorming on how to make more room in the bedroom. We already bought you a mobile! Today I made and drank nettle tea and sat on the rug for two hours to honour your request. I'm thinking about paint. What colours do you like? (Skin colour?) But most of all, we're preparing for you by living here, here between two mountain ranges, in the dust, in the sun, in the rain, in the moonlight, because we want to share with you the dust of these mountains, the pain of contrast, the joy of living with others, and the ritual of making fresh juice. In Haiti, paving a road is a project for special occasions. Something like lights at night could be ordinary but is most often extraordinary. Haiti has shared many extraordinarily sacred moments for us, including this one. Ritual and asphalt. May you know the value of both.