4th of July

It’s hard to believe that July 4^th has come and gone.  The 4^th has been my favorite holiday ever since we moved to Long Grove.  Our house was the first to be built on a large corn field.  The house sat on a raised parcel of land in the middle of the empty field with 360 degrees of unobstructed views.  Our first 4^th was magnificent.  Wherever you looked were the fireworks of surrounding villages. To our great surprise, there was a loud boom in our back yard followed by our own display.

Across the road from us, a country club was celebrating with a magnificent display of fireworks lighting up the sky. From that 4^th of July until the year we moved, the 4^th was the Segal’s time to party.  Eventually I built a pool, put in a basketball court, bags and volleyball and the 4^th became a 3-4 day party.

Fast forward to 7/4/2023 and Renee and I played Bridge with the neighbors.  We live in a 55+ community; and, as expected, the sky remained black with the occasional pop of firecrackers and bottle top rockets.  I often write about the “Used tos” and certainly celebrating the 4^th is a “Used to.”

So why am I writing about this?  Renee expected the 4^th to be a depressing day.  I did, too.  Surprisingly, it wasn’t!  Remembering the years of celebrations actually felt good.  Writing about the good old days no longer depresses me.  It’s time I live in the present and make peace with my disabilities.

I guess you could say I’ve declared Independence from Parkinson’s.  Parkinson’s will do what it will and I’ll adapt and enjoy what I can until I can’t.  Wish me luck in my new endeavor.

(As any of you know, Renee and I are planning to drive to Chicago in September.  It’s a long drive and we may not be up to it.  I’ll keep you informed as to when we will be there if my fantasy works out.  My plan is to lunch at the Scoreboard with my old friend, Joe, and hope to see many of you there.)