4th of July 2020
fourth of july has always been one of my favorite days of the year. i love all of the red, white, and blue, and parties and bbq and sunshine and fireworks. well, this year was different for many reasons and i’m actually not upset about it. of course all of the fireworks were cancelled because of COVID. we ended up going to a friend’s house instead for a socially distanced firework show in their driveway :) they always go all out and have tons of huge fireworks! rockwell loved them and would clap after each one!
instead of having a big party, we just had a couple of friends over for a backyard bash and we still had a great time. i always have to go all out for parties (even when they’re small), so i decorated the yard and we made hawaiian themed food- kalua pork, rice, mac salad, and POG! i got our firepit all cleaned up just in time for s’mores, too!
this year, i’ve had a lot of mixed feelings about the fourth of july and our country in general. i posted some of my thoughts on instagram and got a lot of good feedback. i don’t think i’m “proud to be an american” right now. i’ve learned and seen a lot of things in the last month, as most people have, i think. i am ashamed that i didn’t realize the extent of the struggles that black americans are still living with in our country. it makes me angry and sad. but i am so happy to see so many people finally trying to make important changes. i’m doing my best to read, listen, sign petitions, donate to good causes, and anything else i find that may help even in a small way. i am so not articulate when it comes to these things and it’s hard to put my feelings into words. so this was really just random thoughts. i guess i didn’t know what i was celebrating this fourth of july, but it certainly wasn’t how wonderful this country is. my friends pointed out that i could celebrate the changes that are finally happening and the discussions that are happening. and i agree, that is something to celebrate.