Happy Fourth! Flags and Fireworks

Call me Ishmael.  Oh, wait. That’s been used before.  Call me wary.  Wary about Pennsylvania’s first Independence Day with new rules on the kinds of fireworks citizens can buy and use.  Apparently, Pennsylvanians have access to bigger and louder fireworks than ever before. I wasn’t aware of this until recently. I am disappointed.

First let me say that I am not a big fan of this holiday. Sure, it’s great to have a day off from work. Actually, being self-employed and having  the holiday fall on the one of two days I work, I will lose half of my pay this week! But I digress.  And…I will survive.

The two main reasons I am not a fan of the Fourth are that I am not a very patriotic person and I don’t like loud noises. Those two things will be in ample supply today.  I mentioned in other blog posts my tendency to not be much of a stereotypical patriot.  Today is the day of God Bless America.  Whenever I hear that phrase I think to myself, shouldn’t we be asking God to bless the entire world. I mean there are countries on Earth that can use that blessing much more than we can.  Yes, I am one of those people.

But to avoid turning this into a political rant, let’s talk about fireworks.  How did making as much noise as possible become the way of celebration?  I blame extroverts! Just kidding. I’ve been to many fireworks displays and have been greatly impressed by the displays, just not the noise that goes along with it.  Put me in the camp of the dogs and cats and horses and veterans with PTSD. This year, with the new Pennsylvania, liberal fireworks regulations, it may not be necessary to go to a public fireworks display. Your neighbor may have something equally impressive in mind. Super.  Also, your neighbor may be the one who shows up in the newspaper the next day having lost a hand to his own explosive. It happens every year! Some things are best left to professionals.

I’m feeling a little like Debbie Downer in this post.  So let me end it by wishing you all a wonderful holiday! If you like the loud noises, I hope they are as loud as possible. If you are feeling patriotic, show your colors proudly! I’ll be enjoying nature and looking for quiet and peace. Finally, God Bless the Whole World!