Happy 4^th of July!  People in my town have been blowing things up for the last three days.  The fireworks tents popped up in every field and parking lot, many school programs and other organizations using them to fundraise.  The booming began before 8:00 this morning and is still going strong as of 11:30 tonight.  I’ve never been able to figure out why people set off those big fireworks during the day as you can’t actually see them, but it’s not my money going off in the sky, so whatever floats their boat.  Right now I can watch fireworks while sitting on my couch writing this.

I certainly don’t want it to seem that I don’t like fireworks because I love them.  I think I’m a bit spoiled now because my favorite fireworks experience was one year when we got to hang out with the firefighters setting them off and watch the sky right above our heads fill up with beautiful colors.  The firework remnants raining down upon our heads was not so fun, but totally worth it.  We’re going to see fireworks this Friday after the Saltdogs game, which will be my favorite part.  Baseball is ok but I’ll be there to hang with family and see people blow up stuff.

It’s interesting to me that we celebrate our declaration of independence by blowing up things. The fact that the price of fireworks increased quite a bit this year doesn’t seem to have deterred anyone from buying them.  The same people I’m sure who are complaining about the ridiculous cost of gas are still willing to dish out hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars on something that brings them temporary happiness.  Well, I suppose gasoline is temporary as well, but I can’t ride a skyrocket to work.  

Every year we hear from pet lovers how the noise affects their pets and from military veterans whose PTSD can be triggered, but it doesn’t seem to stop people from blowing up things.  My thought this year was I wonder if we have Ukrainian refugees, especially children, who are struggling with all of the explosions.  Can they discern the sounds as celebratory as compared to destructive?  Do we as Americans care enough about these people and animals to change how we celebrate in the future?  Just a thought.

I’m sure that with all the events of the past couple of weeks, there are those who don’t want to celebrate at all, feeling they’ve been let down by their country.  And there are others who are celebrating because they believe that things are changing for the better.  I’m not going to get all political here and it’s certainly not my place to judge or comment on either.  My hope is that we don’t allow people at either extreme to make the rest of us feel as though we have no control and therefore, no reason to celebrate.  When I see all the turmoil here and around the world, I’m grateful to still be able to celebrate the good this country has to offer in any way I want, whether it’s with my family and friends or by myself, reminding myself that things can always be better, but we have the opportunity and responsibility to be involved in making it better.  So I can be grateful to live in and be a part of a country with potential, that’s still growing and changing and perhaps watch people blow things up as part of the celebration.