I love fireworks. Love them. The light. The colors. The crackle of excitement, the explosives that signal fun, not guns. The way we all wait in anticipation, strangers united, staring in the same direction, hopeful. Last night, watching Macy’s fireworks on the Hudson, I was so struck by the sense of joyous New York community: people on private yachts and packed party boats, on rooftops, standing on the docks, even watching on tv – New Yorkers coming together to clap and laugh and blow horns and share in the oohs and ahs of the spectacular. Echoes of other, more tragic, explosions somehow bringing us all closer, more appreciative… Pushing Recession 2009 out of mind for an hour of shared optimism and delight…
In life, most of us also prefer the occasional dollop of excitement and surprise, enough explosiveness to surprise us and get the adrenaline going. But beyond adolescence, the drama and explosion generally work best in infrequent, controlled doses. Enough to light up the sky with the fabulous, to let us sigh together at the duds, and to leave us sated and happy to settle into the calm that follows.
Copyright © 2009 Marlin S. Potash. All rights reserved.
1 response so far ↓
Lana Klekar // August 12, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Tonight we will let the kids set off the leftover fireworks and stay up a little late on a work night! Summer is almost over. The past holiday should not just be a reminder of the daily freedome we enjoy. Thanks for the reminder!