To Be

 In Spanish the verb estar and the verb ser both mean to be.  But estar means to be as in passing, something not permanent, such as, “I am hungry.”  Ser on the other hand indicates something that is ongoing, more permanent, such as “I am.”  I stop being hungry after I have eaten but I don’t stop existing. If someone asks me if I am being good, I always say, estar, or yo estoy because I am not always good.  So, many people think I am a bad priest as in ser.  I am always bad.  That is yo soy.  If someone were in recovery from an addiction, it would be estar because recovery is passing, transient, unless we have a practice on a daily basis.  If someone were to tell me that they ser sober, and I were a good Spanish teacher, I would correct them and say they should use estar because their sobriety is only for today.  It is one day at a time and not very permanent for most addicted people.  It is the same with my spiritual life.  Without daily effort, without the sense that this could all be gone due to negligence in practice, I work it each day.  This is the extent of my Spanish.  Yo soy bruto!