In the early '80s, I would spend each July 4 with my neighbors across the street. With a family of seven kids, there was never any shortage of activity going on. Although I always enjoyed lighting smoke bombs and shooting off Roman candles, a highlight of the evening was Mrs. E. handing each of us a lighted sparkler. We'd each take our sparkler and run one lap around the house with it. In retrospect, it was fun, exhilarating--and something I'd never do today. As much as I enjoyed that carefree feeling of setting off fireworks and running around with a sparkler once a year, I feel lucky not to have tripped and burned myself.
I just paused to remember some of those times, and suddenly, it was 1983 again. Now, I'm back in the present, realizing that it's 2020 and those seven kids are now adults with a great many kids of their own. Despite the pandemic and a changed world, I hope all of them are enjoying their Independence Day today. I hope they're all having fun--and staying safe.
