Fourth of July

Unity. Independence. Two of the things I like best about my country. On the surface you might think they don’t really go hand in hand. You’d be wrong.

I’m not saying that we’re always unified. Far from it. You don’t have to look any further than our current presidential election to see how diverse our viewpoints can be.

We are a nation of individuals with dramatically different ideas and beliefs. We come from every country, speak every language and practice every religion in the world. We are pacifists. We are warriors. We are farmers. We are city dwellers. We travel to see the world or we never leave our hometown. We think that our town, our city, our state, our region, our country is the best. We think that we’re different than those who live in other places. We like being different. We like being independent. We don’t want anyone to tell us what to do.

But, when we need to be, we are one. When we face a crisis, we come together. Whether it’s something particular to one neighborhood or to the entire country, we stand up together. We put aside all of the things that make us different and allow our unity to shine through, illuminating a safe path through the storm.

And, every year, on the Fourth of July, we celebrate our ability to be both united and independent.

This year, halfway through our cross-country extravaganza, Mr. C and I celebrate in Lead, South Dakota. They do their annual fireworks over the Open Cut, a former gold mine that also happens to be the place where the solar neutrino problem was first discovered. We eat corndogs, cheese fries and popcorn. While I claim a bench for the upcoming show, Mr. C plays on a playground until long after both hands are blistered from the metal bars. We watch kids decked out in red, white and blue blur past us for hours. We listen to the community band’s rousing repertoire of patriotic American songs. And, as darkness finally falls, we ooh and aah as fireworks soar overhead. Just like millions of other Americans are doing at the exact same moment.

Happy Fourth!