Today is our nation's official birthday, though to be fair we as a nation have gone through several rebirths in our short history as a country. Many times I think we lack that perspective, that as a nation we are relatively young compared to the rest of the world. That we've gone through such a tumultuous history in such a short period of time however, I think gives us such a unique perspective and view.
In any event, today is the day some of us get off work, some of us drink a few brews, still others burn some mammal flesh over fire like our ancestors of yore, and still others toil on this day yearning for something better.
Myself, I like to keep today low key and hunker down and appreciate the gifts this nation has given me. My wife and I settled down and hunkered in the basement to avoid the cacophony of noise outside. I did however take a small break to step outside for a smoke (I really need to start using that vape tech), once my wife settled down for sleep; and was struck by the smell in the air. Very distinct that it was the smell of sulpher, gunpowder, etc... from the various people in my little burb on this planet setting off fireworks in celebration of this nations official Bday.
And while sipping on my cold beer there in my driveway, taking a slow cool drag on a coffin nail there was no mistake that the entire neighborhood was lighting off everything they could possibly find.
There was a haze of smoke wafting across the streets, and the acrid smell of fired gunpowder was distinct. And as I stood there looking up into the sky as my neighbors lit off their explosives in revelry, I stood there in my driveway and cried a little.
I wept a little because I hoped that all these people, justly mind you, celebrating another birthday of a nation which has had no equal to this date; that hopefully they understood the full gravitas of what they were celebrating. That as a nation, as I mentioned earlier, we are so young into our growth but have gone through so many growing pains. Yet however we have so much room for growth, and much of that growth is being as inclusive as possible.
I wept a little thinking of my great grand mother and father on my mothers side, who landed in New York from Ireland; coming into the harbor and directly from his diaries described it as a beacon of hope. I wept a little thinking of my fathers side of my family, who came seeking work from Scotland. They worked in steel and were accomplished blacksmiths and settled in the north central Indiana/Illinois area.
I teared up a little because just recently I found out that on my fathers side of the family, my ancestors fought in the civil war. A distant great uncle apparently fought on the side of the Union and lost his life in the Appalachia mountains during a skirmish with Confederate forces.
I wept because I realize that I am a product of immigrants, and it makes me horrifically sad on how we forget so easily amongst the acrid smoke of our revelry, that how we were built as a nation. Perhaps it is how fast we went through things, and we lack perspective at times? But the fact is that we are a nation built unto and onto ourselves. We are at our best when we are most inclusive, the history proves this continually.
Happy Birthday America, we've earned this one so far.
That said, we owe it to those before us to continue making this union we have built that much more perfect.