What Space means to me
Every time, there is space exploration mentioned, I cannot help recalling my adventure there!
I was about eight when this incident happened. Not sure if I was in a coma, or if I had an out-of-body death experience. I do know I was in outer space because that is the only thing I recollect from when it happened.
My parents, cousin, sister, and I were traveling to Mexico by car. We had already gone through customs, but my parents had to return to clear some items that had been retained until the following day. We stopped at a quaint motor hotel, just before Monterrey where we spent the night. The next morning, my parents left for the customs office in Nuevo Laredo. Millie, our cousin was in charge, but she did not let my sister, nor I swim in the pool because my parents had warned her not to let us get in the pool. So, we were happy with just dipping our feet in the water. I know it was very hot and we were under the sun for several hours until my parents got back in the late afternoon. After dinner, we got ready for bed. That’s about all I remember before finding myself inside a one-person capsule out in the cosmos — in outer space, surrounded by stars and the darkness of the universe.
Today, sixty-five years later, I can still sense the feeling of being encapsulated out there, in space. I do not know how long I waited, but there was no frustration or fear, and I did not wonder at all. It is almost as if I were programmed to wait patiently and at eight years of age, that is so hard to do. Not sure how much later, but after a while, I heard my parents’ voices, frantically calling out for me as if looking for their lost child. I could hear them desperately call my name over and over. When I heard my mom crying, and as I felt my dad’s hands pressing against my chest, maneuvering resuscitation — that was when I opened my eyes!
At first, my sight was blurry. I saw my parents’ fuzzy figures above me. Actually, they were both on their knees. My cousin and sister stood by with concerned expressions on their faces. I asked where I was and what they were doing. I asked, “Why are you crying?” My mother responded, “Oh, my little one, I found you with your head stuck between the mattress and the bed frame. I immediately called for your dad, who felt your pulse, and he’s been trying to revive you!” I will never forget that moment when my parents were thanking God for getting me back. Honestly, I don’t know what happened to me. All I know is that I was patiently waiting inside a capsule in outer space.
