“…and the cost would be more than I could bear.”

It was a great Fourth of July on Saturday, albeit occurring on the Third of July. It’s weird how a whole state has an unspoken agreement to “preserve” Sunday, the non-verbal “nod” that says “Yeah, dude, I know.” Izzo (Heath) came down from Sandy for the day. We both got some soccer cleats real cheap at one of those Mega Sport stores, the ones where all the employees where athletic gear; suggesting that as soon as they get a break or their shift is over they’re going to go run or compete in the decathlon. So, Izzo and I went and played soccer for awhile. We would sprint up and down the field and (attempt to) do some “give and go’s” and then we just stood on the field and kicked the ball back and forth. I hadn’t played soccer in so long, but I was surprised how much of the fundamentals I still remembered. And there are few things as fun and rewarding as kicking, hitting or throwing a ball back and forth with a good friend while you just talk about life. Some people pay hundreds of dollars an hour to do the same thing with a psychiatrist. They don’t usually kick a ball back and forth, just talk. Sometimes, I think I need to spend more time in “therapy.”

We ate lunch at Wendy’s, played video games, and took a nap. All excellent activities, worthy of any national holiday (well, any day for that matter). We got some fried chicken and watermelon and went to Rock Canyon Park in the evening to meet up with some friends. The Plymouth girls (Mindy, Brit, Monica, Whitney, etc.) and the NorCal guys were there and played wiffle ball. Its funny I have these tall adidas soccer socks and I wore them just for fun. But when you dress like a professional, people treat you like a professional. Izzo and I kicked the ball around for a while again while we waited for the fireworks. During the course of which I had no less than three kids come up and ask if I played on a team and how good I was. Even Jon, one of the NorCal dudes, was like “So did you play soccer a lot in high school?” So I ran with it, “Yes, these are socks from playing high school soccer. Yes, I’m comfortable with that. I, am an athlete.” No, but I did spend every Saturday in the fall watching game after game of soccer as a referee. So in a way I guess I never really left soccer. Even in Hong Kong I alternated playing basketball and soccer on Preparation Day, even got to play on this huge dirt field in Macau with giant Chinese billboards for Coca-Cola and San Miguel beer hedging the field. GOAL!!!!!

So, despite a howling wind shooting out of the canyon and the sprinklers coming on, the archetypical pyrotechnic display of patriotism was enjoyed by all. But I found this year a sort of personal revelation or perhaps more of a personal metamorphosis. The Fourth (or even Third) of July isn’t so much about explosives or glowing displays of man-made fire and brimstone. For me, the fourth of July has become a holiday to celebrate the freedom of this nation by simply spending time with those close to me. Fireworks are simply a forum for socializing. Nobody really likes lighting sparklers or “Spinning Pagoda’s” by themselves. And as you get older, just like an alcoholic or cocaine addict, it takes more and more money to get you that buzz from the fireworks. So you just stop caring. When the fireworks are rad, you “ewww” and “ahhhh” just like a little kid; but at the core, what makes for a memorable holiday is spending time doing what you like with those you like. Isn’t that what this country, our constitution, our military, our nation stands for? Doing what you like, when you like, with whom you like. Freedom. Like eating KFC with Elder Lundgren on a brief lunch break at a mall in a place where the Fourth of July holds significance as merely the place holder between July 3rd and July 5th.

...this is freedom.