4th of July Parade

We ate dinner with our dear elderly neighbors on Memorial Day this year, and during dinner they both mentioned how much they missed going to parades (it's just too hard for them to navigate the crowds and parking these days). Immediately I knew I needed to bring the parade to them. I reached out to neighbors and our neighborhood Facebook group but received little to no response. Discouraged, I continued asking and making plans, figuring everyone on my block loves my kids so at least we're sort of a parade if no one else shows. On Sunday, I split my family in 3 groups, and together we delivered 80 fliers to the families in our neighborhood with children. We received a bit more response, but it didn't feel promising. I really had no idea what to expect today.

I woke up this morning at 4:30am and couldn't fall back to sleep. Plagued with negative thoughts, I rolled out of bed and schlepped downstairs to workout before the kids woke up. I regrouped my thoughts during my workout and felt calm about the day. Fear is such a strange thing--sometimes it motivates me and sometimes it paralyzes me. I wasn't going to let it paralyze me today. 

At 9:45am, I began seeing people walking around the lake with their bikes and strollers and wagons. Two families even made floats. The parade was a success! The kids loved it, and I did too. I really feel a need to connect people in whatever way possible; I'm always looking for ways to get together as a family, as a neighborhood and as a community. I think there's too much negativity out there about the state of the nation, but the thing is, I think we're in much better shape than we all think. People do want to be together. They do want to support each other, even if they believe different things. And they do want to show up, even if they don't actually commit immediately.

I am so grateful for our neighborhood. It feels like a step back in time. Kids are always outside playing ball of some sort. My kids are nearly always at the beach, lounging in the sand. And there are so many people that walk together. It makes me happy! It was so nice to be together today.