September 15th, Last Night

Last night I was in bed when I heard the fireworks. I jumped out of bed and stood in my yard, searching for them. I saw several of them going up into the sky and falling in beautiful colors. Then there was nothing for a long time. I went back to bed and as soon as I was under the covers, I heard others going off. I jumped out of bed again and ran out the door in my night shirt and with bare feet. Nothing. Back to bed. Then the fireworks again. I got up again and stood in the yard half undressed, hoping my landlord wasn't looking out his bedroom window. Hoping for more fireworks.

This went on for maybe forty five minutes. I know that on the fifteenth of Sept. the proclamation, written and read by Father Hidalgo, that started the Mexican War of Independence in 1810, is read in the town plazas all over Mexico. 

When it is read, people cheer at various sections. I could hear them cheering from here, which is quite a few blocks from the plaza. I could hear children screaming in delight too.  Sounded like they were having a great time.  I thought briefly about getting dressed and walking there. But no, I went back to bed again instead. That is the difference between being sixty eight years old and thirty eight years old. At thirty eight, I was up for a lot things. Now I have had many more experiences and I realize that the world goes on without my participation and I am free to do exactly what I want, when I want. My presence isn't required or even noticed at public events. Well, that is a good thing and a bad thing. Sometimes it isn't so great to understand just how little I affect the world.

I had a friend once who put it very aptly. She said, See yourself as a hand that is in a bucket of water. Your hand displaces a lot of water and seems very important but when you take it out, the water quickly returns over the area where your hand once was with no trace that it was there.  (Okay, unless you were Father Hidalgo and you started the Mexican War of Independence. But of course he was killed just a year later for his activities.)  Fame has it's trade offs.

I am looking forward to today. There will be a parade and a rodeo and I don't know what else. I will go with my friend Pat and see what is happening around town. I will take lots of photos and share them with you. (P.S. Father Hidalgo was 57 years old when he read his proclamation. My excuse of withdrawing from things because of my age looks pretty lame in the light of that fact. Maybe I have just gotten lazy.)