As you all know, July 4^th is the celebration of the birth of American independence. This one feels a little bit different than any that I can remember in my lifetime. I’m sure that anyone reading this can relate. Many of us are usually looking forward to some type of activity that involves large gatherings of people such as a baseball game, a firework show, a nice meal at a crowded restaurant or hanging out on a beach. Maybe even a vacation consisting of a little bit of all of it.

The Fourth of July is one of the best holiday weekends of the year for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it is a reminder of how lucky we are to be Americans. It not only signifies our independence, but our resilience. It occurs at a time of the year filled with warm weather and extra hours of sunlight. Everyone seems to be in a better mood in the summer.  

This year more than others will be one in which our resilience will be on full display. There is no baseball. Many firework shows will be going on in undisclosed locations with no crowds. A lot of beaches and restaurants are closed and it will undoubtedly be different for most of us. Even though it won’t exactly be the same, the feeling associated with however we choose to celebrate will probably be similar. We will more than likely be with friends, family or a mix of both. Many of the people most important to us are those that we can have fun with whether there is a crowd of strangers around us or not. Maybe we won’t be up close and personal to the fireworks, but we’ll still be able to see some from a distance.

This weekend will be another reminder of our ability to forge ahead no matter what this virus throws at us. The continued outbreaks are scary and the market still feels very fragile. We certainly aren’t out of the woods yet. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to have a great weekend despite the limitations and concerns. I’m going to appreciate the beautiful weather we’ve been having that will hopefully continue through the holiday weekend. I’m going to take in the long summer nights. Most importantly, I’m going to enjoy the company of the people I choose to celebrate with and be grateful that I was born in the best country in the world.  

Disclosures