Skip to main content

Letting Go


 

Truth in advertising: I love fireworks. When I was little I was terrified of the sound, but my delight at the visual experience eventually overcame my fears. Last night my daughter and I sat on the couch in our living room in Oakland Mills and were able to see a decent amount of the Lakefront show, at least, the ones that cleared the trees across the road from our house. 

Many people feel that it isn’t truly the Fourth of July in Columbia/HoCo without fireworks at Lake Kittamaqundi.

And yet.

Every year I learn more about how fireworks traumatize animals and other creatures in the natural world. The following is taken from a Facebook page called The Animal Place:

  • Fireworks traumatize ALL animals. They can have panic attacks, become disorientated, anxious, and scared. The booming noises can be terrifying and overwhelming for pets⁠/wildlife - and possibly hazardous or fatal.
  • We are in FIRE SEASON and seeing record-breaking heatwaves everywhere while experiencing a major drought. Firework sparks can and will result in fires.
  • People with past trauma related to sound like, people with Complex PTSD, people with autism, and people with other forms of sensitivity to noise are all impacted significantly by the explosions of fireworks. 
Let's create compassionate traditions.

Here’s more along the same lines in an image from Reddit.



As I said, I love fireworks. And I love the special joy that comes with sharing that experience with others - - the oohs and aahs and the delight in children’s faces. But do I love them so much that I am willing to sacrifice the well-being of others?

I’m beginning to think it’s time to let them go.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

Columbia Chance Connection

  Last night, as my husband and I were about to sit down to dinner, our front door swung open and a cheery voice announced, “I’m ba—ack!”  We weren’t expecting anyone. Clearly the only people who’d walk right in to our house would be one of our offspring. I had my reading glasses on so I wasn’t seeing too clearly. It seemed too tall for our youngest, but we knew our eldest was at work. I took off my glasses to see a friendly but confused face scanning our living room. When her gaze landed on us we all had a sudden realization. We didn’t know eachother. “Oh I’m so sorry! I’m in the wrong house! My daughter just moved in and she needed hooks for the kitchen so I ran out to get them.” She waved the package. “All these houses look the same and I don’t know the neighborhood yet. I thought this was my daughter’s house.” We were all getting a bit giggly. “That’s okay. For a quick second we thought you were our daughter,” said my husband. I told her our names and said she should defin...
Post a Comment
Read more