A Happy Fourth Of July!

It’s a beautiful day in Bahia Soliman, the bay is like a mirror. Today in Mexico is just another July Monday. It’s not a holiday for Mexicans. No matter, Gringos like me remember that it’s Independence Day.

I have already performed my holiday ritual of reading The Declaration of Independence. I did not read it out loud this year. I especially like this part:

accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.

“A design to reduce them” is the language of specific intent. And it suggests that all colonies whose resources are exploited by Empire and whose petitions for change are ignored retain a similar duly to “provide new guards for their future security.” It took a lot of courage to sign one’s name under that. It takes as much courage more than two centuries later to acknowledge the universal appeal of the statement. And how it should apply everywhere.

The other two rituals of the day are going to be harder to complete in Mexico.

Maybe some expats around here have some fireworks. I hope so. This evening it would be great to set off some firecrackers. Forget the massive pyrotechnic display over the Bay. That’s not going to happen.

Even more difficult, some of the food. I woke this morning with a desire for a red, white and blue patriotic dessert: blueberry pie (from the Scottish Bake House on Martha’s Vineyard) and cherry pie (same) a la mode with vanilla ice cream (organic please). I don’t think there’s a blueberry within 100 miles of Bahia Soliman. Or a cherry. It looks like I’m going to have to wait until I return to the States to complete the fiesta. But that doesn’t really dampen my enthusiasm for the holiday, and I wish you, dear reader, a Happy Fourth of July!