It's 'Day of the Dead' in Mexico, today, Nov. 1st & into the 2nd. I'm hoping to get some fresh fotos from Isla, if Sr. will send some...but, after the (non)hurricane (Tropical Storm Rina), he hadn't seen many signs of celebrating, especially since there has been quite constant rain and flooding now.
But, anyway, it's my own special celebration as it's been exactly 5 years ago (Oct 29, 2006) since I suffered my horse accident, and came 'oh so close' to being among the muertos...
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| Abby, Carole (sister), Amelia, Melia, Grace & me Kris) ! my compañeras... |
I celebrated the day by going on a trail ride, happily accompanied by my sister & 4 of her granddaughters. What a great day it was, last Saturday, as we rode through fields and enjoyed the day.
For me, it was 5 years since getting on a horse--not that I've been fearful, but since I no longer have horses, there just hasn't been an opportunity (and I would also never go now without a helmet).This felt so good, I want to do it every year now.
I want it to be a sort of 'Memorial' trail ride.
In the way that 'Dia de Los Muertos' celebrates the dead through those living who commemorate them, it's a way to be alive & still remember.
The good thing is it's a shared experience.
I send thank you's every year to those who found me, and one of them often sends me little postcards, just signing them 'your friend on the road.' Silly little things like that mean so much.
I don't take much for granted any more, and try to be more appreciative, more in the moment...
I use the days this time of year to recount my story (I was found lying in the road near my farm, by passers-by, who 'saved' me by notifying my neighbor, (husband being in Mexico!) which resulted in an ambulance call (she had EMT training & knew I'd had a head injury), an MRI at my local hospital, a med-flight to University Hospital in Madison, a scan & an immediate craniotomy ..and the rest is history... or, I should say, NOT history, as I survived, and it's life...story...(there should be such a word...lifstory!) The horse ( named Cowboy) that I was trying out for the first time, must have thrown me as I tried coaxing him back over a bridge out on the road...I really can't remember, as I suffered a concussion. Going into the surgery, my neurologist apparently told my son I may not ever write again (being right-handed) & could lose language skills (I had a hematoma, and pressure on the left frontal lobe). Luckily, all went well & I'm thankful to my finders, my doctor, for his immediate attention & also my family...all for hanging in there for me. I probably am somewhat changed, as I make decisions differently, based less on what I 'should' do, & more on what I want to do.
In the intervening 5 years, life has been good. I have 5 granddaughters...one per year...
I celebrate life... I'm aware of & have been close to death...it's coming...but it's not here yet....
By Frida Kahlo
The mask the girl wears is reminiscent of La Calavera Catrina (“The Elegant Skull”) that is commonly associated with the Day of the Dead. While the Catrina is a zinc etching from 1913 by Jose Guadalupe Posada, the image of the feminine skull has become a touchstone for the seemly morbid celebrations.
This little girl appears to be very young; in some analysis of the painting, it is speculated in is a self-portrait of Kahlo as a child. She is aware of life in that it leads to death and there is an element of resignation in her pose that says, “I know you’re coming, I accept you.”
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