A Surprise, An Old Jeep & Thoughts on Patriotism

When I heard an outdoor symphony concert was being held in my hometown back in Ohio, and there would be fireworks the very same evening for the first time in possibly 60+ years, I decided to pack up the kids and drive home to surprise my parents. We arrived at the concert ahead of time and my sister came slightly after us with our very unsuspecting parents. The kids went running to meet them and the lawn chair Mom was carrying was tossed aside as she braced for hugs galore. 

The surprise worked splendidly.

The concert was lovely and afterwards we watched fireworks from my parent's hay field while snacking on popcorn and brownies. In the dark, we introduced my Dad to snap-its and did sparklers as well. 

The next day, we puttered around (literally and figuratively) doing odd things around the farm. One included checking the hay status in my Dad's old Jeep:

The children also checked the status of the corn; definitely knee-high by the fourth of July.

I will admit it was difficult to be overly celebratory this year for Independence Day. Before the symphony concert started, the conductor said a few words to mark the occasion, including the peremptory statements about living in a free country and what wonderful benefits we have by being US citizens. He also shared his enthusiasm for this concert since it would be their first performance before a live audience in 16 months. 

Something didn't add up to me: Why, in a "free country", wouldn't an orchestra be able to perform regular concerts for a live audience? 

We all know why: A shutdown in response to a pandemic. 

Not only were live concerts cancelled, but millions of businesses shut down, masks forced upon us in every store and to some extent, every part of "normal" life was disrupted. Here in our state, for a section of time, even garden supplies such as seeds and household paint were roped off in stores and not available for easy purchase.

That doesn't sound like a free country to me.

So while I was sitting amongst friends and family listening to West Side Story's "America" and Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever", there was a little battle going on in my mind. How can I celebrate the country I live in and yet have such conflicting thoughts when it feels my freedoms are are being infringed upon?

I started thinking about the whole reason we even have Independence Day, which was to declare our independence from Britain. The signers of the Declaration of Independence signed their name to a document saying, among a whole list of things:

They wanted to be able to trade freely in all parts of the world. 

Have fair trials by jury. 

No armies imposed upon them in times of peace. 

No taxation without representation. 

No hindrances for populating the new nation. 

The bottom line? 

They wanted freedom to live as they pleased.

So I decided to celebrate what the 56 men who signed this document had in mind back in Philadelphia during the summer of 1776. Because they had very good intentions, despite how that very country has strayed in the 245 years following.