There is a place

There is a place in Arizona.

It's east of Show Low in the White Mountains.

It's out of the way and you'd never go there unless you're looking for it.

There is extremely limited cell-phone service, no TVs, and no internet.

Even though there are a few things it doesn't have, there are far more benefits than costs. It's a pretty dang cool place.

It's a place where meals are eaten at wooden picnic tables built in 1948.

It's a place where sand volleyball is being played at almost all waking hours.

It's a place where four cabins built in 1948 and four built in 1960 are still used and slept in.

It's a place where horny toads are caught by kids and held prisoner in corrals made of mud, sticks, and rocks.

It's a place where hiking up our "mountain," Sierra Trego, is always harder than it looks.

It's a place where you can win beanie flipper contests.

It's a place where you write down your family line back to the common ancestor to get treats.

It's a place where swinging on the rope is done at the risk of broken bones and skinned up knees.

It's a place where you drive to the top of a mountain called Greens Peak and then run down it...why? Who knows?

It's a place where we hold 3K run, and you do it every year against all your better judgement.

It's a place where it rains randomly a few times a day, usually at the most inconvenient times.

It's a place where you play family feud and do skits of your ancestors lives at the evening program.

It's a place where you get way too intense playing "gaga ball" because that little kid is out gosh-dang-it and don't you try to cheat you little punk.

It's a place where you drive ten hours through the night to get there. 

It's a place where in-laws and outlaws alike are welcomed as long as they're family!

(At the risk of getting too cheesy) It's a place where you see loving families and dedicated parents who work together...shoot, I crossed the line.

It's a place where said families tease and joke to no end.

It's a place where you stay up late at night telling new stories, reliving old ones, and laughing until you cry.

It's a place where you update every. single. person. on the past year of your life, sometimes more than once.

It's a place where I recognize all the faces but I don't know all the names.

It's a place where time stops and even though there are a few more kids and gray hairs than there were last year, it never feels like anything has changed.

There is a place in Arizona.

It's east of Show Low in the White Mountains.

It's out of the way and you'd never go there unless you're looking for it.

It's called the Whiting Homestead, and it's where family is.

4th of July

So I'm a day late because I've been trying to formulate what I want to say in my head in a way that makes sense and conveys how much I think we have to be grateful for in this country without being naive or rose-colored. 

I was camping for the weekend so this year I didn't see much by the way of actual patriotic celebrating...not even a single live firework, depressing I know. But as I was thinking about the holiday, nothing is so hilarious, self-fulfilling, and the ultimate paradoxical reality that we can't celebrate being American without stuffing ourselves with food and blowing things up in the sky. For one day a year we pull out our stars-and-stripes in every form imaginable whether by face paint, clothing, or decor and place our patriotism on parade for a solid 12 hours before going to bed, waking up and complaining that nothing is right in this dumb country of ours.

Is there anything more American than that?

And it might be a little sad that we take so much for granted, but at least for that one day we actually have something to celebrate. Even if we only take a few hours, we know for every second of that day, the 4th of July, that we live in the greatest country in the world.

Each of the other 364 days in a year, we can find something to complain about but all it takes is a little perspective to see that we have every reason to celebrate. 

Do we realize that the reason we have the privilege to complain or even just express opinion at all on public platforms like social media is because we live in America? There are countries where people die for anything spoken against government and country.

Do we realize that we don't need to draft men into the military because there are enough people in our country who choose to go through the rigorous mental and physical training it takes to protect and fight for us? There are still over 30 countries that draft 18 year old's into their military.

Do we realize that any person can learn anything they want to in a country with a 99% literacy rate with 0% difference between genders? We have free public libraries with access to books and computers, public schools, and other endless resources for those who seek them while there are still countries with less than 50% literacy rates and huge discrepancies between genders.

It's easy to forget how blessed we really are here in the USA, when comparatively with the world we have it pretty darn good. I'm not writing this ignorance of issues, or under the pretense that everything is perfect and sunny here in America. We have corruption, crime, and lots and lots of debt. But what I'm trying to say is that in general, as a whole people, we're pretty darn unique. 

As I was driving back from camping through the canyon on my way home to Logan the song "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood came on the radio. I've remembered all the lyrics since my class sang it in 4th grade for some kind of patriotic event. As I sang along (softy that I am) I got all choked up as I loudly proclaimed:

"I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free"

I thought how significant that sentence was just then when I wasn't feeling too positive on America's overall outlook for the future. The point of the 4th of July isn't to pretend like we've got it all figured out. It's to celebrate independence and freedom. And if nothing else here in America, "at least I know I'm free." 

If seeing our flag waving in the wind or little kids in jeans with flags painted on each cheek doesn't move you at all, you may need a little reevaluating, because this country was built on the blood of men and women who believed that there could be a place where certain human "inalienable rights [which include] life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" could be achieved. We sure as heck aren't perfect but to only focus on the bad and negative and wrongs in our country is to do a disservice to every person who has fought in the last 239 years to preserve those inalienable rights. We are blessed with freedom. 

And that is worth blowing some chemicals up in the sky.