summer nights of freedom

Tonight is the perfect summer night. The air is still, but not too heavy, warm but not suffocating. My love and I took the pups for a long walk around the neighborhood tonight and for a while, life just felt good. We stopped and talked with neighbors and laughed as Dakota pulled me in abstract patterns across the sidewalk, into the grass, and then back again. It was a quiet night, so different from last night, and yet both nights were filled with a sense of innocence and freedom.

This was one of the first years that I was not particularly looking forward to the 4th of July. It has always been a big holiday with my family, all of us spending the day lounging on the beach, then grilling out and enjoying a casual dinner poolside before heading to the village to see the fireworks over the ocean. As the years have passed and we all have aged, the tradition has become altered a bit. It has been many years now since all of us celebrated together on the island. But in every previous year, there was at least a majority. This year was different.

My family is now split between the island and the city. While my parents and grandparents and one aunt and uncle still enjoy the island life on a daily basis, the rest of us spend our days making lengthy commutes and dreaming of our next vacation back home. With hectic work schedules and limited time, there was no hope for an island celebration this 4th of July. In fact, life has been so busy that the holiday was not really even discussed at length until Tuesday. And yet somehow, we managed to make it one of the best ever. Of course there was the lingering nostalgia for age-old tradition, but we planned a spontaneous last-minute soiree and enjoyed the day in a new way.

The weather was beautiful, hot and sunny but not unbearable as it often is this time of year. After a bit of early morning yard work, my sister arrived, fully stocked for a day at the pool. With full coolers, colorful towels, water toys, and a load of books and magazines, the afternoon was spent lounging in the sun with family and friends. By late afternoon, we headed to my sister’s house for a barbeque and more friends joined us to celebrate. Good food (including my lopsided cake…which is impressive if you know me and my cooking skills), good company, and lots of laughter left us exhausted but blissful by the end of the night. As we danced through the backyard with sparklers, we watched the night sky light up with fireworks in every direction.

Though the day was not a replica of our yearly tradition, it was certainly a day that will long be remembered. And even though the fireworks weren’t quite as bright or quite as loud or quite as impressive, the company and the food and the sparklers more than made up for any potential disappointment. It was truly a day of freedom, not just in celebration of our country but in celebration of ourselves as well.

Now the time is getting late, the quiet and darkness comforting in the warmth of a perfect summer night. My eyes are heavy but there is a smile on my face. A wonderful holiday followed by another night of innocent freedom…I do not need any more reason to smile.