Tomorrow, we will celebrate the Fourth of July with all the usual traditions. We will fire up the grill, take a dip in the blow up pool or run through the sprinkler and perhaps even catch a parade. However, these are just the prelude to the grand event, watching the fireworks.
Growing up the idea of fireworks stirred in me several emotions. It brought both anticipation and actually some anxiety. You see, fireworks, although desired, were never guaranteed.
The morning of the fourth, my siblings and I would scan the newspaper for display times. We would then present, more like beg, my mother with several options. You see, my dad, who we love dearly, really is a firecracker Grinch. There were very few things my dad would stay up past 10 p.m. for and a traffic jam wasn’t one of them. He also couldn’t take the sticky heat of the evening.
Back then, air conditioners were not standard in cars. Most cars were designed with front wing windows adjusted so that if you reached the speed of 50 mph you might feel a slight breeze. The problem was, however, that traffic after the fireworks never comes close to reaching 50 mph. According to my dad, moving an inch at a time turns one’s car into a sweatbox.
So to prevent suffocating in a sweatbox on the Fourth of July night, my dad thought that viewing the fireworks from 5 miles away with binoculars in hand was sufficient. In addition, to him a grand finale is best heard not seen, so if dad escorted us to the fireworks we were pulling out and heading for home when others were still unfolding their lawn chairs.
So now you have been introduced to my Fourth of July anxiety. What were we three little stair steps kids to do? We did what every child does when they want a guarantee — we asked our grandparents. And to no surprise they were thrilled to take us. My grandpa would pack us all in the car, while grandma packed the snacks.
When we arrived my grandma would spread the blankets while my grandpa lit our sparklers. They would bring us so close to the event that every sense we had would be stimulated. We saw every flash, we smelled and tasted the sulfur and we heard and felt each explosion. The smoke from the grand finale would clear before we packed the car for home.
If there is one thing I have learned from my Fourth of July experiences, it is parents sometimes you got to step back because there are a few things grandparents do better. Happy Fourth of July and enjoy the fireworks.
