7:30 BELLS Guest Post: Author Justina Chen's Heart Rings on Machu Picchu
Justina Chen, whose award-winning YA novels always dare into the deep reaches of the heart, rings us into the Fall season from high on an ancient mountain . . . .
Machu Picchu. More than a bucket list item, Machu Picchu called
to my soul. For years, I had intended to visit the mystical site, perched high
on a mountain. But then my life was overturned and my savings evaporated along
with my ex-husband. The idea of bringing my kids to the place of my dreams felt
daunting. For one, money was tight. And for another more embarrassing reason, this
particular adventure required navigational skills. Serious navigational skills
that geographically dyslexic me had always relied on my ex to handle.
Yet there we finally stood overlooking Machu Picchu, my kids
and I, years after I had planned our visit. To this day, no one knows the why
or how of Machu Picchu. What was its purpose—summer resort for emperors or
grand temple for priests? I stared stared stared at the sunlit ruins of what
once, irritated by that mystery. Surely some archaeologist or anthropologist
had solved it by now.
Suddenly, a wind ripped the veil of clouds overhead. For one
perfect moment, the sun beamed down on me along with an idea for a new novel. A
girl who wants to be a photographer, but can’t see her own life clearly. A girl
with a serious blind spot for boys.
The why and how of inspiration is a mystery no different
from the why or how of ruins—those found on mountains and those in our lives. All
I knew, standing before Machu Picchu, was that I had to accept the inexplicable.
The bells rang so loudly inside me, I was afraid that my
heart would crack right open. But I did not step back. I did not close my eyes.
And I did not plug my ears.
Ring away, I dared instead, as I stood before the treasure
of ruins that is Machu Picchu.
Ring away, I thought, flanked by my children, the treasure
of my life.
Ring away, I told myself, lifting my eyes from the rubble to
the clouds. And so the bells rang. And as I listened, I knew what I was
hearing: the sound of my heart being knocked open to love again.
7:30 BELLS Guest Posts run on the second Tuesday
of every month. Join me on October 14 for a guest post with
explorer/author Marc Calhoun