Posted on Jun 29, 2021 in
On the Porch with Patti
Ready to celebrate the four F words – and yes, that’s an original Charles Weiss painting of Old Glory on the wall – best artist ever!
By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher
Last year on July 4th I wrote about my Rona Routine, and it was full of limitations – where I could or couldn’t go, mask-wearing, hand-washing, an abundance of hand sanitizer, plastic gloves – you remember the drill. As we celebrated the very foundation that our nation was built on July 4, 2020, we weren’t really free – at least it didn’t feel like it. We were under siege from a cruel and relentless enemy. And now a year later, celebrating our freedom truly means just a little bit more to me – and I’m going all out.
I typically decorate for the holidays, so that’s nothing new. But this year July 4th is a season – not a single day – as I am red, white and blued all over the house – inside and out. Just this morning – day one of my self-proclaimed month-long Freedom Fest – Tim Kaminski walked out of our bedroom dressed for the day in a green shirt. I promptly informed him he had three color choices for shirts today, and green wasn’t one of them. Yes, there were eye rolls, but Mr. Kaminski abruptly got on board the freedom train and donned a red shirt.
Of all of the lessons learned from our pandemic professor, I do believe that freedom is right up there at the top. And it’s a positive lesson. COVID taught us that there’s truly more than one way to skin a cat. We could be productive and do what we needed to do, but in a different way, and different is not always bad – it’s just different. The pandemic taught us the freedom to work from anywhere and still get the job done. It taught us mad Zoom social skills. It opened our minds to doing things differently, and while some of us – not naming names Mr. Kaminski – fought the change initially, I believe we are better for it as we now have alternative methods of getting things done. If that isn’t freedom, I don’t know what is.
The pandemic gave us the freedom of our most valuable asset – time. Instead of waiting at the doctor’s office for an hour, we simply logged on to our computer at the appointed time, and the doctor appeared like magic. In lieu of wandering aimlessly up and down the aisles at the grocery store for an hour, we ordered what we needed, drove to the appointed spot and picked up our order lickety-split. Even going to the vet was more efficient. I drove up, and an attendant came out to the car to pick up Annie May and Lilly June for their appointment while Momma ran errands. Unfortunately, that sweet attendant had to literally pick up Annie May. Annie is the princess; she can’t be bothered to walk. Lilly, on the other hand, ran ahead of the attendant and tried to open the door to the office. And yes, their personalities resemble Kassidi and Kolton exactly.
I believe the last year has been a reset for us. With more time on our hands, we had the time to be introspective – to slow down, assess our lives and prioritize what matters the most. And the things that made my list? All F words: Family, faith, friends and of course, freedom.
I think Janis said it best. “Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose.
Nothin’, it ain’t nothin’ honey, if it ain’t free.”
This year we have the freedom to celebrate big, and at the Kaminski Casa, we’re doing it all – parade, fireworks, rodeo, hot dogs – you name it. If it’s American, it’s on the agenda.
Happy 4th of July my friends! See y’all next week – on the porch!
Patti Parish-Kaminski
Follow Patti Parish-Kaminski on Facebook at facebook.com/patti.parishkaminski and on Instagram at instagram.com/ontheporchwithpatti/.
<
