Fireworks

I really love fireworks.

I will go to great lengths to see them - drive long distances, sit in the rain, wait for hours to get a good spot.

I'm not sure why exactly. I think might be one of those things that still inspires wonder in me. I've seen them so many times. Yet, I still can get caught off guard by a new kind that I haven't seen before, or the way they shimmer against the sky. Then if I tire of that - I watch the way they reflect on the water - suddenly the ocean lights up with green, blue, red.

If I'm really lucky, there is music too. And one lone firework shoots up into the sky during the opening chords of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". It's just so magical. And it just kills me.

I guess it's nice to know I can still get caught up in wonder - put all my cynicism and irony aside for a few minutes.

Last night we stumbled upon a wonderful spot by Peace Arch border, along the rocks and enjoyed the American's 4th of July offerings. There were fireworks going and there were trains passing. It was pretty amazing.

I can't even wait for the symphony of fire. Summer is here my friends.

This could really be a Good Life...

Yes, I might be in danger of becoming that heavy-handed blogger who you don’t want to read anymore because every time you come here I’m ranting about some other social ill.

Hey – at least I’m thinking right? I promise I will write some ridiculous silly post soon that will remind you that I think about nice things too. Ha.

But today I’ve been thinking about entitlement – how we all have some of it in us, and how that comes out in what we think, what we say to each other, how we act.

It’s like when someone says to you, or you think yourself “ahh lame, you have to work tomorrow” when the weekend is ending and you start to feel bad for yourself for having to wake up and go to work on Monday morning. If I don’t watch it, you might escape the most obvious thought of all: I have a job to go to. Sort of like how our generation (namely me) is constantly on the hunt for a job that will give us meaning, purpose and satisfaction. I’m not saying those aren’t good things to pursue, but some days shouldn’t we thankful we have a job at all?

It’s like when you tell someone you can’t afford something (a trip, a night out with them, a new house) and they seem genuinely shocked, like they have never before encountered in their life the experience of not getting exactly what they wanted, when they wanted it because of some external circumstance. And hey, I’m not judging here. I’ve been privileged enough to rarely have been on the “wanting” side of that equation. But just when I start to feel bad for myself, I need to remember how many places I’ve been and things I’ve done already. Who’s to say we deserve all this endless “entertaining” we provide for ourselves anyway?

I guess sometimes it’s easy to lose perspective – to feel like we deserve a good life with education, work opportunities, inspiring travel, delicious meals on the table, and friends to enjoy it all with. And when I start to get the “woe is me” feeling, I have to be pretty careful how far I take that. Obviously it’s good to yearn for more, and to be passionate about moving beyond where you stand now. But I guess, like all things, it might also be good to also balance those thoughts out before we get bitter, or angry, or feeling entitled to more than we have.

Usually I don’t like pictures like the one below. They remind me of the kind of things I used to show my suburban high-schoolers to instil a sense of erm…gratitude? I’m not sure what we were trying to do exactly. Usually they’re just a guilt device. But given my recent thoughts this week, I saw this one a little differently. Maybe sometimes we do need to take a moment to just stop and be thankful for what we have – even if things might be more difficult than you wish they were. So just attempt this with me (it’s outside the box for me too) – try to just take it as a thankfulness reminder, one that helps you put things into perspective then next time you have one of those “woe is me” moments.

Good fonts too right? And yes, I am listening to OneRepublic right now. It's might be cheesy to say it, but maybe this really is a "Good Life".