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Well, it was so nice to be writing again. Gives me something to do other than ask dad to buy me a new juguete. He does seem to get tired of my whining though and, more often than not, I end up with my juguete. Therein lies my hope and dad’s lack of optimism.
I just learned this phrase ‘Hope without optimism’ from listening to an interview with Cornel West. He was talking about Joe Biden replacing Donald Trump. Cornel West, blows my mind. I thought I wanted to be a mechanic when I grew up but now I think I want to be like Cornel West, brilliant! Speaking of brilliant, I wanted to thank everyone who wrote back with questions and comments. I will try to address a few of them here.
Attacks on US democracy by the enemies of the state!
One of my readers, and a dear friend of the family, actually wanted to clarify that Russia did not interfere in the last US election and to them I say, don’t care, doesn’t matter if they did or didn’t. For the last US election it was supposed to be Russia that interfered and now it is suppose to be Russia, China and Iran. Is the list of meddlers growing or is the list of enemies growing? I always say, ‘What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.’ or ‘You reap what you sow.’ or ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’. At least none of those countries declared a new president like Canada and the US did for Venezuela! So I don’t think it really matters. I am not interested in figuring out who is holier than thou!
To be a baby or not?
Perhaps picking up on my deep thoughts; not to mention my incredible ability to observe the world around me, someone declared I was no longer a baby. They went on to write that soon I would be writing my own blog. That really hurt. To suggest, or even hint, that it has not been me writing! To them I say, I will always be my mom’s baby, dad’s not so much. Dad says I am a big boy now and should clean up my own mess. To which mom replies, ‘Can you look after the baby?’ To which dad asks, ‘You mean clean up his mess or spellcheck his blog?’.
Canada or Mexico, where’s the danger?
A friend of mom and dad’s in Israel, that I have not met, wanted to know what was so ‘unsafely’ in Canada that made us go to Mexico. At least that’s what I think I was being asked.
Much is unsafely in Canada but perhaps not as unsafely as it is for a Palestinian living in Israel, or a brown person being arrested in the US or a member of the First Nations in Canada. It’s hard to tell what is unsafely when one is so privileged. Perhaps if mom, dad and I lost our privileges we might be able to answer that question, providing it was safe to do so!
Enough about me and more about me!
So I am riding a bike now. I was riding one in Hamilton but without pedals. It was wooden and I powered down the streets and in the local skateboard park using my feet. I couldn’t bring it to Mexico. Mom and dad got me a bike when we got here. Mom’s cousin combined three of his children’s old bikes into one for me.
I went with Mom’s cousin to the bike shop with the three old rusted bikes. He asked the shopkeeper if he could piece together a bike from the three. Didn’t look possible to dad, who had come along for the ride. The shopkeeper said sure and a couple of weeks later, I had my very own bike with pedals and no training wheels. My abuela was terrified. No training wheels, the bike was too big, the bike was too heavy. Mom joined in, “My poor baby, he will hurt himself on that thing!”
Dad said, don’t worry he’ll be riding in two weeks. It took three, but who’s counting. Mom and abuela boosted in unison to the rest of the family, “Three and a half years old and he rides without training wheels. Who would have thought?”
Day of the Dead and the Day After
This weekend was the Day of the Dead in Mexico. The Day of the Dead over three days with November 1st being evening that the dead come to visit the living.
Mom says the government shut down the cemeteries so that people would not congregate there on the evening of November 1 so people visited the day before and the day after. Rumour has it just as many people congregated as the government tried to prevent from gathering.
By way of mention, the commemoration ends on November 2, just in time for the US election. Is this a coincidence? Is this yet more interference?
Woooohoo! Victor is a rider now! He’s loved anything with wheels since birth I think. Who knows he may be an F1 racer one day. Glad to hear all is well there. All is good here too.Leaves are almost all gone now. Winter’s coming. Your house is still standing. Life is good. Be safe and warm!
A baby? Of COURSE you’re not a baby! Babies don’t ride bicycles! they don’t ride three-wheelers, let alone two-wheelers, let alone two-wheelers with no training wheels.
Keep us posted with Victor’s exciting life. Three years old and riding a two wheeler! His legs must be brilliant! Love from John and me to all you lucky three in Beautiful Mexico.
Whoohoo Victor! Your dad is right, you are not a baby anymore. Great to read your blog. Keep them coming….
Great to hear from you! The “baby” got the hang of balancing, and now the boy is riding right along – hooray!
He’ll be on a skateboard soon!
And, yes, the house is still standing…(-:
We too love Cornel West’s perspective and thanks for the reminder of the difference between hope and optimism.
Agnes and Andy
Hey Victor! Very steady on 2 wheels. Impressed. Expecting you to consider joining me on the People With AIDS Foundation Friends for Life charity bike ride, Toronto to Montreal, next time you’re in town!