Stomach problems are related to digestion and acceptance. A relevant question is “What are you having difficulty digesting and accepting?” While still with Assumption College in the 90s I would often turn to a bachelor colleague  who had a calming effect on me. He didn’t preach but showed me how to take things in stride, how to go through life lightly. I had just returned to work then from ailments ranging from very high blood pressure to eventual severe depression.

Only when we parted ways did I realize he did have serious stomach and pancreatic problems. He would often jokingly tell people including his students that he was dying. Although he was definitely more senior than I was I didn’t think he was dying. I would laugh off his plaints. Who would think he had problems when he would be cheerful by template? Behind his funny-man façade he must have been in pain.

Was he suffering from loneliness? Did he just “swallow” the many problems ranging from the petty differences in the office to the heartaches of  his students who confided in him? What kind of family life did he have in a home he shared with his sister where he was fondly called “senorito by the help?” Continue reading →