Independent's Day

My day began early, with a shift that literally started Independence Day. But then, as if to confirm what day it was, my day began again, with coffee with a friend.

I didn't actually drink coffee--that is hard to do on the bridge between a night up and a day that requires sleep. But as I talked, and listened, no coffee in my hand, I suddenly appreciated the independence I was enjoying. For, while I might have had freer July 4ths in my life, in that moment, I had already worked and had the rest of my day ahead of me. In that moment, I was sitting with a friend who didn't care what I looked like after a night/day of work, didn't care whether I drank coffee or not, didn't care whether I was one hundred percent coherent or not. In that moment, I had a kind of freedom that all the years of dark studio July 4ths didn't necessarily buy.

Sometimes, we find a bit of freedom in the funniest places. For me, today, independence was a job done, and a hand with no coffee, a little time with a friend, and a whole day stretching out in front of me. And that, this year, made for a very happy Independence Day.