I had to work this holiday. I think it is my fifth year to work on the Fourth of July. But I happened to be working on the 6th floor this year, so when it came time for fireworks, I was happy to be able to peer out of one of the empty patient room windows to see all the fireworks across the horizon. I think that’s the best way to do it. Yes, you don’t get the smell of the sulfur, the loud bang, or the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahhs’ of the crowd, but you also don’t get the mosquitoes, the crowds, or the July heat.
I got to see the fireworks in ways that most people don’t get to see them. I was actually eye level to most of them. Across the city, at least 6 different areas were each shooting off their own fireworks. The closest at 10 blocks away, to the farthest being roughly 10 miles away. It was easy to imagine the people ‘ooohh-ing’ and ‘aah-ing’ and the booming and banging. I did miss that, but it was beautiful nonetheless.
A special thanks to our troops out there who are still fighting.