Bam, bang, hiss, sizzle! “Stars and Stripes Forever.” Fireworks, parades, barbeques, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family and friends reunions – all celebrating the history and traditions of the U.S.A. What a day!

It’s the best holiday of the year for some of us – hot weather to enjoy, not like snow and cold on Xmas, nor rainy parades at Easter. The 4th of July is a time to get outdoors in the sun to celebrate, and not to sit in the living room or around a dying tree. It’s not Memorial Day, remembering those warriors who fell in the defense of freedom, or Labor Day that many regard as the end of freedom as the door slams shut on the summer months and good weather.

Remember back when the family went together to the local amusement park, probably called Playland, and watched a fireworks display being shot over a small lake. That can happen again for us with a family of old friends gathering on a local hill, watching the sky light up with joyful celebration. We can be kids again by lighting a few sparklers and setting off a string or two of miniature or ladybug firecrackers in the back yard during the barbeque. Just do it outside because they can make the indoors a mess. Ooh!! Ahh!!

“Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better,” said Albert Camus the French writer. “The basis of a democratic state is liberty,” said Aristotle the Greek philosopher. So you see, this thing called freedom is older than you and is international. That’s what we celebrate – our peace of mind and the battles it took to get there here in the good old U.S.A.

And Mr. Webster defines freedom as “the quality or state of being free as the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action.” Now that doesn’t mean you can become that grumpy old person everyone dislikes and exercise your freedom of speech and say everything that comes to your mind just because you can. But it also means you have the freedom to just think it.

And then there is the sitting around back home after the food or fireworks display. “Do you recall when? … Remember where we used to? … Then there’s the time. … Did you know? … Can you recall? … Do you think we’ll ever?” The warm radiance of a slight beverage buzz – or it could be the ambiance of old friends calling to mind memories – fills the room along with the faded sun. Old friends, who hadn’t gathered for a while, some for a year, slow down, take the weight off their feet and relax in a comfort zone built by years of experiences together. The distractions of the present are left at the door like muddy boots. The 4th of July is more than just about the past, it is enjoying the good times and friends of the present.

You probably aren’t going to spend the day talking about Paul Revere, Betsy Ross, John Adams or Thomas Jefferson, although they were a big part of the original festivity. More than likely you will be talking about Pete the barber, or Joe the bartender, or even Gigi the checkout lady at the market – people of your generation and an important part of the celebration of life all year long. That’s the real wham bam of freedom’s sound.

Patrick M. Kennedy does full-service editing and writing and has published several books. http://www.abetterword.com/ and http://www.funwithretirement.com/