Sunday, July 1, 2012

4th of July Blog Hop!


Fireworks.

I love 'em. The sounds--the sizzle, the pops, the booms. I love the way you can feel the sound in your lungs, in your feet because the very ground shakes with each explosion.

I love the smell of burned matches and lit fuses and the thick scent of rocket smoke as the heavy clouds linger low in the air.

I love the lights--those flashes of colorful chemical incandescence that lend the brilliance of noon day sun to the smoky twilight. The colors flash off every leaf, every pair of eyes and the flames are, for a moment, a living part of us.

And then...

it's over.

Darkness. Silence. The fireworks are over. We hang on a breath, wondering--is this all there is? Was it over? And a part of us is truly disappointed that the fireworks are done.

Life is like that. Love is like that. Every bright and wonderful thing we've ever known is like that--bursts of light and sound that interrupt sleepy doldrums of uninspired predictability. We live moment to moment, hoping each one will be brighter than the last. And every once in a while we get fireworks--moments that burn so brightly that they leave fiery afterimages burning on our retinas for long seconds afterwards. We don't even notice the dark silence because the sounds of fireworks still echo through our ears.

Driving home from work tonight, I saw fireworks that someone in the neighborhood set off. The moon is near full and, between the lunar luminescence and the intermittent bursts, I could see dark shapes of trees like silhouettes against the sporadic light. I wanted to roll down the car window and take as deep a breath as I could. Seeing them weren't enough.

Then I remembered--these weren't the only fireworks I loved. My husband's lightning strike smile, my kids' bursts of laughter, those flash-and-fade victories and achievements of all shapes and sizes that get us day to day.
See this feeling right here?

There's a trick to making those moments last-- acknowledge them. Appreciate the work it takes to earn them. Savor the fuse and linger after the lights begin to fade.

Don't go though life stuck indoors with the windows closed. Go outside and enjoy the fireworks, living each burst as it blooms.



Fireworks are my favorite part of the Forth of July celebrations...what are yours?

Leave a comment and be entered to win a e-copy of BLEEDING HEARTS: Book One of the Demimonde, available for Kindle or Nook/epub formats (winner's choice).

And be sure to visit the other bloggers this week who are setting off fireworks of their own. Good luck and Happy Independence Day!

20 comments:

  1. I am with you I love fireworks:) I watching my little boys face light up in awe as he sees them! The way if you are in a crowd it seems like everyone is happy, no worries, problem forgotten and just enjoying!

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  2. I know what you mean--I especially love the kids' faces as they watch. They are so amazed by the fireworks...and I feel like a kid again, too. :)

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  3. I guess fireworks constantly surround us, if we just open our eyes to see them. Thanks for the reminder.

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  4. I'd love to read this.
    erma2167@sbcglobal.net

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  5. I loved when the kids were little and we would go see fireworks. Now we grill and sit around and do lots of talking and eating.
    Yvette
    yratpatrol@aol.com

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  6. Fireworks are also my favorite part of the 4th I love being wrapped in a blanket with my hubby in the park listening to the bangs then oooooo aaaahhhhh the occasional stolen kiss so we don't have to hear our kids go gross!
    mawmom@gmail.com

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  7. Fireworks are my favorite part too!

    evabrittcc@gmail.com

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  8. I love fireworks. As a kid I loved lighting them and as adult I'm ok with just watching them. lol Happy Independence Day!
    kaylyndavis1986@yahoo.com

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    1. Kaylyn, I HATED lighting them! :D I was always sure I'd end up with a fast fuse and blow my face off. I think I managed to set of a few M80s in high school--only God knows where I got the guts to do it.

      Even today, I'm skittish. I make the kids light their sparklers off a candle. Still too chicken to do it myself!

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  9. I also love the fireworks and watching my children's faces light up...


    ronnkelly3@aol.com

    ronnkelly3(at)aol(dot)com

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  10. I love watching the kids see the fireworks!

    forettarose@yahoo.com

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  11. I love fireworks, they are just so beautiful to watch.

    vampiremistress2010(at)gmail(dot)com

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  12. Happy 4th July!

    I'm not from the USA, but want to celebrate with all of you.

    Adila
    esmeralda10az(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  13. I love the fireworks at Disneyland they are magic :) I recall the first time I was the video for Katy Perry's song and I will admit I got goose bimbles and actually shed a tear. That's the epitome of indie! Nothing can stop you. Thank you for participating in this fun hop!
    dz59001[at]gmail[dot]com

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  14. We loved watching the fireworks tonight with family!!

    evelynmoly@yahoo.com

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  15. my fav thing about the 4th is goin to our local park for the fireworks show and the mini fair that they have there

    terrilee.byles@yahoo.com

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  16. Thank you, everyone, for stopping by and sharing a Fourth of July with me!

    The winner is... Yvette!

    Everyone else still has a chance to win Bleeding Hearts and other cool prizes...head over to my Summer Fun Web Hunt page (just find the tab at the top of the blog)and enter by the Rafflecopter form. That contest goes until July 15 so ya'll still have time.

    Thanks again for sharing my fireworks...hope you always have some of your own. <3

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I'd love to hear from you!