I remember when I was a child, Fourth of July meant a barbeque in the backyard. Our cousins would come by to visit and we'd play outside all day getting sweaty and dirty. And then once the sun set, we would rush to the front yard to light our sack of fireworks which we had bought a week earlier and had been drooling over for days. Within minutes, some bonehead would be running inside to find their mom because they had gotten burnt somehow. It was all tons of fun.
Today, I was looking out the front window to see what was going on in the neighborhood and saw nothing. Nothing was out of the ordinary on the street or by the curbs or in the front yards. It looked like a regular Saturday afternoon on any weekend of any month. There were no curls of wood scented smoke rising up into the sky. There were no earth killing polystyrene coolers filled with ice and sodas. There were no children causing permanent damage to themselves with fire. I have to admit that I was very disappointed.
Now, let me clarify that I am not Mr. Gung Ho, this country is paradise, and our society is the bestest in all the lands in all the world. But still, I would have thought somebody would be doing something vaguely patriotic down the street. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
Could it be that people are so down on the country because of the flurry of wars we seem to be caught in? I saw just a couple of days ago US forces made a new attack on the Taliban in Afghanistan. Really? The Taliban? Still? Doesn't someone look at these things and say, Gee, we have been here since 2001 and still haven't won. Maybe this is a bad idea.
Could it be that the economy has people hurting for money, so barbequed meat is a luxury some can't afford. I mean, have you guys priced beef lately? Holy cow, it's outrageous. And if we can't afford meat, should we be spending money on fireworks? Remember what Mr. Scrooge said: People spending the mortgage money on frivolities leads to unpaid bills. Okay, so I paraphrased. Like you know the quote by memory.
I am very sure that I don't have an answer to why the day was so sadly lacking in 4th of Julyness. I just find it unfortunate that the children down this street won't have the fun memories that I do of this day. Or the burn scars.
