Cinco de Mayo
May 5, 2009
When most of us think of the fifth of May, images of cheese enchiladas and Coronas stand prominent in our cross-cultural minds. Those of us who paid attention in our World History classes know Cinco de Mayo as the celebration of the Mexican army’s implausible victory over the French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Most of Mexico does not celebrate Cinco de Mayo. It is “celebrated” mostly in the US and usually in the aforementioned method without regard to spilled blood or victory.
For me, Cinco de Mayo is paramount for an entirely different reason than enchiladas or General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín’s victory. It is certainly a day of celebration, even a day of victory if defined as “a gaining of the superiority in any struggle” as Webster pens it. On May fifth, 2005, my youngest son was born, at home, in a beautiful struggle that brought far more euphoria than a case of Corona and a lifetime supply of tamales could ever do. Both of my sons have given my wife and me superior experiences that we otherwise would not have had without children. Some of these experiences have been difficult character building moments where wit’s end seemed inevitable, yet we prevailed. Many other moments were joyful learning experiences where we were taught by our sons how the simple things matter most.
We will be having pizza tonight for my son’s birthday party, it’s his favorite and after all, in my world, today is all about him. If I think about it, I might just have a Corona tonight and partake in a momentary toast of honor to that tenacious underdog, General Seguín. On second thought, I’ll save my honor for my family, especially that little guy who makes me smile so darn much. Viva la parenthood!
