Independence Day Thoughts ... One Day Later

Yesterday was the Fourth of July... an important day to all of us. We live in a country that affords us freedoms that we take for granted. Once a year, however, it's important to remember how lucky we really are.

This isn't a sappy Patriotic statement, but said more from the standpoint of our personal everyday opportunities.

We have so many chances to do what we want in life. We can work for others, work for ourselves. We can live in houses or apartments or in communes, or cities or in the country. If we have a lot of money, we can live in more than one place. Now, before you get on your high horse, I'm talking about opportunities that I know are NOT available to everyone ... but not because they don't have the freedom. The down side is we are still a "class" system and there are many who don't feel the freedom and are barely able to survive. I am a social worker, I know that. And, I do what I can to help there, when I can -- to help people get a leg up so they feel they have more choices.

We also have an abundance of choices in the realm of what we can purchase and what we can do with it. We can shop in millions of stores, buy things from all over the world. We are far from limited in any way.

And, we can choose our lifestyles -- our sexual lifestyles, without fear of retribution (well, in most parts of the country), our fashion styles, the colors we paint our homes (except where neiborhood associations prohibit that), our use of language.We can choose to live where we need a car or where we can rely on public transportation. We cn choose to recycle or not (although we "should").

You get my drift. We live in a country where we have many chances to express ourselves and to be FREE. We can thank our forefathers for that, as well as many who followed them and passed legislation that fostered our continued growth.

I am grateful for my life. I am young for my years, I am healthy, I can buy whatever I need to help me be more attractive. I choose to live in NY, without a car -- doing my part to help the environment. I recycle all that I can. I volunteer to help others. I position myself in such a way that my voice sometimes inspires other.
Life can't be much better than this .... well... not entirely.
There are some things missing still: I'd love to be in a fabulous relationship with an amazing man, I'd love to have a bit more disposable income, I'd love to travel and explore this world more.

So, I urge you this weekend to look at the freedoms you have AND to acknowledge what you are grateful for. And, lastly, in the words of John Kennedy, "ask not what your country can do for you ... but what you can do for your country!" How can you volunteer in ways that use your talents to be of service to others. The right to volunteer is another of our freedoms. And, as baby boomers, volunteering is in our DNA.

Have a fabulous weekend.
Ann