Summer is here!
The 4th of July is my second favorite holiday, and here’s why:
1. There are no presents involved! You just get up and get ready to celebrate. Now that is my kind of holiday.
2. The weather is warm and the air feels ripe with possibility. The vibe of early summer stretches out before us, full of long lazy days (ha!), like at the end of Grease when the kids get out of Rydell High for the summer.
3. Everything – and everyone – is decked out in red, white and blue. It’s a day to feel pride for our country and gratitude for the freedoms we enjoy…focusing on the positive aspects of living in America…and there are many!
4. The food is yummy and easy. Bring out the BBQ! In my house, barbequing is my husband’s domain, so I’m mostly off the hook for meal prep. What’s not to like about that?
5. The hometown parade! Scores of folks in our town turn out for it, bringing chairs and picnic lunches, setting up to watch along the 2 ½ mile long parade route. Our kids are still toddlers, but I imagine we’ll walk in the parade in future years to support their activities. I love watching my kids wave their little flags while the bands, horses and floats go by. And I love the smell of sunscreen wafting through the air.
6. Parties and fun with family and friends. Blockbuster movies are released, old friends are in town, and family members are off work and eager for adventure. Whether it’s spent at the pool, the park, going on a trip or just hanging out at home, there is always something fun to do.
7. Fireworks! I have to confess that in recent years the kids have already been in bed by fireworks-hour and my husband and I have watched the displays on TV instead of outside. Even on TV, the music is grand and patriotic and makes me think of times past – and surely in the future too – when we’ve trekked out to a certain primo viewing spot to watch the spectacular display.
So, it’s summertime, and the living is easy. At least for this glorious holiday and long weekend. Yeah!
I’m wondering: what do you love about this time of year? Please share here.
P.S. For your viewing pleasure, click here to watch the final scene from Grease when they bust out of Rydell.
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© 2012 Merideth Mehlberg International LLC.
Merideth Mehlberg, Executive Coach and Career Strategist, helps professionals transform their work from blah to bliss. Her individual and group coaching programs provide structure, tools and support to guide her clients to create the professional and personal life they crave. If you have a fire in your belly to change your situation but don’t know where to start, learn more at http://meridethmehlberg.com.
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Comments: 7 Comments
Yes yes yes! Love the 4th of July. Our town celebrates on the 3rd and we just finished watching a spectacular fireworks display from the comfort of our kitchen window since the babe was in bed. Tomorrow we’re going all American with a trip to a baseball game and a cookout at home. Hooray!
Yay Beryl! Thanks for commenting, that sounds wonderful. Fun that the celebration lasts for two days. I like that!
No fireworks for us this year. Apart from having a 14-month-old who goes to bed around 7pm, there is—of course—a fireworks ban in most of Colorado right now. Our county even banned professional fireworks shows. But better to miss out one year than to suffer the consequences!
We grilled some pork chops and corn on the cob and then made s’mores over the coals and my baby girl got to eat her first marshmallows… and get them ALL OVER HERSELF. So a bath in the hose was required, which was pretty fun, too!
Congratulations to all fellow Americans!
And lot of joy; and so many green smoothies!
Lacy, thanks for sharing! That sounds like a wonderful holiday. A child’s first s’mores is a momentous event, indeed! I remember the camping trip last summer where our two littles had their first taste of them, and yes, it was a sticky situation!
Thanks Mubera for your comments! I have got to get into this green smoothie thing, people keep raving about it to me!