Freedom

Happy Independence Day!

"It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more."  ~ John Adams

When I was a child, my ears were super sensitive.  I didn't like parades, nor fireworks, because of it.  The noise of the fire sirens and drums in the parade bands would reverberate inside my head until I wanted to cry (and often did).  I remember my mom bringing me inside of a building during those times. Or, when I got older, I would plug  my ears and wince and wait for it to finish, hoping it would as quickly as possible. 

The noise of close-by fireworks such as firecrackers or bottle rockets with their squeal made Independence Day festivities very unhappy for me.  As I've gotten older, I've been able to tolerate the noise a bit better, although I prefer to be as far away from the "center" of the fireworks display as I can be.  And it still does hurt my ears, but I deal with it now.

The visuals often make up for the pain of the sound...

...although a nice quiet evening grilling out with a movie after... perhaps Independence Day?... that would be more enjoyable, for me.

How do you like to spend your 4th of July (if you're American... if you're not American, how do you like to celebrate your favorite summer festivities)?