Ah the Fourth of July: the fireworks, the BBQ's, and that well deserved long weekend at the beach everyone has longed for is, unfortunately, going to look a little different this year.
In past years, the fireworks have always been something I loved. As an elementary-schooler, I would draw pictures of fireworks in the dead middle of February. For over 50 years my town, Westport, CT, has hosted a firework production that does not disappoint. People travel from all over to watch the sky illuminate over the Long Island Sound. My family and I would head down to the beach and try to find the perfect spot among the mob of 10,000 other people. It was, for sure, the best part of the summer. The town brought in a marching band, Good Humor carts, and people that make those cool animal shaped balloons. I was able to swim, eat junk food (since it was a holiday) and play on the playground with my friends before the show began. The most special part was running back to our set up cuddling in with my sweatshirt and blanket to watch the sky light up. A few years later we, got older and couldn't handle the crowds anymore so we changed our plans and watched the fireworks from Shorehaven Golf Club. Each year my friends and I would sit on the 18th green and would watch in amazement. As each one exploded, it became our new favorite. Sitting there with a wonderful group of people made me realize just how much I love this holiday.
Unfortunately, this year, there was no grand celebration with a hundred of our closest friends and no overwhelming fireworks. Instead it was just another low-key weekend with my family. We celebrated with hamburgers, hot dogs, cocktails, and my brother's grocery-store bought fireworks. I was lucky enough to have a friend from school come and visit me for the day. My plan was to take her to Compo Beach for lunch and a nice tan, but due COVID-19 there was a capacity limit. We drove along the coast line trying to find a beach to lay out on, after about an hour of being denied, we landed on Burying Hill Beach, a little more rocky, but it did just the trick.
While this year's Fourth was definitely less exciting than what we are used to, it only reinforced the fact that we must to be thankful for what we do have.
XO,
Kelley