So it's the weekend for all of us Americans to celebrate how we got here. We can complain 364 days of the year about how crappy things are, but on this one day (or weekend) we need to set aside all of those complaints. In the beginning, America was founded by native folk, rejects, criminals, free thinkers, banished folk, adventurers, philanthropists, and explorers. We took this eclectic group and said, "We can be better." Later, other peoples saw what our ragtag people were doing and said, "Hey, that looks like a great idea!" and they sailed to us from all over. We became the melting pot of all races, all religions, all beliefs, and we made it our own. Now, over two hundred years have passed and we are a superpower, rich beyond belief and blessed with many freedoms of which some societies still only dream. I'd say that makes us pretty blessed.

Craig Ferguson mentioned in his monologue last night his first experiences with America, and the things that made him want to be part of our country. One of those experiences was root beer, which he says he had never had in Scotland. That truly made me think of all the things that I take for granted. Was it really possible that I never realized that it was a crazy American who had made that tasty drink? It was possible and he had....I know because I googled it. And rootbeer isn't all that came out of our country. Electricity, the computer, light bulbs, telegraphs, steamboats, disposal diapers, the automobile, the artificial heart, the ice machine, and the swivel chair were all American inventions. As was french fries, potato chips, squeezable ketchup bottles, pizza (as we know it), and doughnuts(disputed history, but I'm going with the Native Americans on this one).

So tonight my family will celebrate the goodness of being an American by sucking down the rootbeer, eating our hamburgers with squeezable ketchup and potato chips, and lighting "legal" fireworks. And damn it, life will be good.

Tags: happy family, writing
Feeling: contemplative