Independence Day

Having had to work on almost every 4th of July for the last eleven years, I don't particularly see it as a holiday since it's no day off for me. (Last year was an aberration.) Usually the day unfolds like this: run 5K road race, go to work, come home sweaty and tired, sleep, wake up groggy in the early evening, hear legal and illegal fireworks going off near and far.

I skipped the race since I'm not in adequate shape for it this year. (I'm exercising again but simply not prepared for running this much.) It was too bad because the weather is rarely this kind on the holiday, if for early July that means cool with drizzling rain.

The work aspect of the day was long enough but otherwise unremarkable. I'll take it. I still came home dirty and tired, just not feeling like I'd baked in the sun, so I did continue the tradition of taking a hard nap in the late afternoon.

I didn't plan on going to any fireworks display, but around 10 p.m. I heard one and could glimpse it from my bathroom window. I decided to set out on foot to the park at the end of the street to see if I could get a better view. The grass was wet with dew and the day's rain. The smell of moisture on the grass and the lingering scent of burnt wood recalled summer camp for some reason.

As my shoes got soaked I could see fireworks lighting up a low portion of the sky ahead of me. I'm not sure why, but it was a nice vision. My distance from it made it seem like a spontaneous, informal display, which is far from the reality of these shows choreographed to music played by local radio stations.

Actually, there were two shows taking place simultaneously. Apparently I was in a position to see the efforts of two municipalities, although the one to the southeast was mostly blocked by the tree line. To the east I had a mostly clear view of the fireworks that were a bit low on the horizon. I could hear that pleasing chunk-chunk-chunk sound as they were fired. The explosive pops weren't quite as loud.

I stood in the wet grass and watched, making sure to keep my distance from the entwined couple atop a picnic table near the park's shelter and then from the adult and kids setting off their own pyrotechnics in the big green space. One of their fireworks went screaming parallel to the ground about fifty yards from me and gave me a pretty good scare. This didn't deter them from setting off more. It's always encouraging to see someone lighting something on fire and then sprinting from it yelling, "Run for your life!"

I was surprised that the fireworks show went on for nearly fifty minutes. I don't remember them being that long when I was a kid. I can't remember the last time I've gone to see fireworks on the 4th. Either I've been too tired or not had any desire to go by myself. On occasion I'd been able to walk around my old neighborhood and sort of see them. It appears that I'm privy to a better view not far from my apartment, so maybe next year I'll hoof it a little more to the east.

Happy 4th.