Happy July everybody! We’re heading into our first full month of summer, and it’s hot hot hot, and on fire with summer fun celebrations! I’d like to take the time revisit and few topics I previously revisit on a variety of Fourths of July. I hope you’ll take the time to read or reread them and if you do, that you enjoy reading or rereading them as much as I did when I wrote or rewrote them.
Up north it’s Canada Day today. South of most of the Great Lakes in will be Independence Day on Thursday. Neither day is exactly when new countries were constituted and truly became independent. Nor did that happen in France on July 14. But they are all momentous dates in the formation of countries we still recognize and celebrate today. Throughout the world, 21 other countries took their first steps to freedom and self-control in various Julys. I wrote more on those eventful events in 2017. You can check it out here.
Here in my neck of the woods we do fireworks in a big way. But we seem to be slacking off on parades. Fireworks are nice but parades, especially the marching bands, get my heart pumping. I think it’s because to me, bands are microcosms of America. I felt that way strongly enough that naturally I wrote about it. In fact, I’ve felt so strongly that I have repeated the same post a few times. The most recent was just last year and you can find that here.
On the Fourth of July 2022 we were pretty comfortably making that return to “normal” that we knew we’d get to eventually. That day I re-visited a post I wrote in July 2020 when we were just starting to find our way out of lockdowns and venturing back out on summer vacations, but not by air or by sea, but by land. That reminded me of my childhood vacations, always by car, and someone always stuck in the middle of the back seat, suffering from Middle Seat Hump Syndrome.
I hope sometime this month, wherever you are you can celebrate, travel, ooh and aah at the pyrotechnics, or march on to your personal independence. And between all that, I hope you have some time to read, or reread these older summer offerings from me.
Happy July everybody!
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I reread those posts (really) and was most taken by your picture of the band, a reflection of your daughter’s efforts on the piccolo and flute. Music sounds better when played by a variety of instruments by a variety of different players. Our country runs best if it’s run by a variety of different ideas from different people so we don’t end up in a narrow rut of noise rather than a song with different parts. I also think it’s fun that so many countries have declared their independence in July, even if it takes longer for independence to actually happen. You’ve brought so much to think about today, my friend. I’m grateful for the depth of your insight and the reminder that too often we think too much of our own ideas without considering others as just as significant.
Thank you Dayle. The music post is one of my favorites. Everything seemed to come together for that one and it still holds true. I think it will always stay true because we will always sound better together. I love the line “If you put all the piccolos together, they still don’t make much musical sense, only now they make it louder.” How I’d love to get that message through to a big chunk of people!
We’re officially into the second half of the year. I wish these next months to better in every way than the time it took to get this far.
Amen and amen. Any movement forward seems to take so much effort and energy. I’m grateful you understand the dynamics of a true melody–it takes lots of notes and lots of voices/instuments for it to sound amazing.
Oh my goodness…thank you for linking to your post about the middle seat ‘malaise’. I remember, I remember. So awkward for the legs and feet!
Happy Early 4th to you, Michael! 🥰
Oh yes, the Middle Seat Hump Syndrome. That post has been published on a couple site and has always gotten someone to comment about remembering exactly having gone through it. An experience few now may ever realize. But those days were fun. And so were the trips, even if a little uncomfortable.
And a happy early Fourth to you also.
🥰🥰🥰
Yes, I love the band metaphor – we’ve got to appreciate the variety!
Thank you! We can earn stuff from our kids even when we aren’t trying.
Right! Happy Fourth!
Thank you – and to you and your family! 🧨