Living Outside The Lines: Baby You’re A Firework!

By, Becky J Miller

What do American Independence Day and Katy Perry have in common? Well, duh. 

Fireworks, of course! 

In her song, Firework, Perry sings the lyrics, “You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine; Just own the night like the 4^th of July; ‘Cause, baby, you’re a firework; Come on show ‘em what you’re worth, Make ‘em go “Aah, aah, aah”; As you shoot across the sky-y-y; Baby you’re a firework, Come on, let your colors burst; Make ‘em go, “Aah, aah, aah; You’re gonna leave ‘em all in awe, awe, awe..” 

Yes, yes, I know her song is not about literal fireworks, but this column is.  Blame it on my delirium, as I lay awake on the 6^th of July, listening to the delayed celebratory reactions of people in my neighbor still shooting fireworks, days after the fact.  I expect fireworks on the 4^th of July, not before, nor after, nor INSIDE THE CITY LIMITS!!! 

Have you ever wondered how the tradition of fireworks on the 4^th of July began? No?  Well, neither had I until the dark, desolate night when a lack of consideration of others caused people to break the law and set them off just outside my front door, sending my poor dog into a panic! 

According to the Huffington Post, “On July 3, 1776 …John Adams penned a letter to his wife stating, ‘I am apt to believe that [Independence Day] will be celebrated by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary Festival.  It ought to be commemorated as the day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty.  It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more.’ ”

While Mr. Adams apparently foresaw the future, I do not think his prophecy, so to speak, included fireworks illegally set off so close to private abodes where damage to persons and property could be great and where small children and pets could suffer post-traumatic stress disorder from the noise!

You think perhaps I exaggerate a bit?  Poetic license is part of a writer’s repertoire, but Newsweek reports, “There are an average of 230 fireworks related injuries near and on the 4^th of July.  In 2014, nine people died from fireworks related accidents, two of whom were not the lighters.” In a related article Newsweek informs the public of two incidents in which NFL players lost their fingers in fireworks connected mishaps.

My soapbox here is a not anti-firework.  Where folks choose to spend their money and what they choose to do in their free time is none of my business, until it infringes on my rights.  I do have the right to expect the law to be upheld, and the right to expect that I will be safe in my own home.  Bringing fireworks into my backyard infringes on those rights.  Individuals choosing to violate the law should face consequences.

Think I am making a big deal out of nothing?  Tell that to my 75-pound Great Pyrenees-Pitbull mix who is so petrified of fireworks that she refuses to go outside to relieve herself, then crawls under my bed with a 6-inch clearance where she really cannot fit.  Not to mention the space is occupied with all my winter shoeboxes, and my husband has to pull her out because she ends up stuck.  There’s also the hyperventilating and the porcelain figurine she broke trying to hide under a living room table.

All of these events are courtesy of people who think they are doing no harm lighting fireworks inside a crowded subdivision.  The truth is, we seldom realize the potential damage until it is too late. 

Please, celebrate away.  We live in the greatest nation on the planet, but it will only remain so as long as we consider others before self. 

Happy Belated Independence Day!

Until Next Time,

Becky J Miller

“Warrior Princess”