I wonder if the people who work with fireworks are still impressed by what they do? Do they still watch with anticipation and glee as the next comet blazes up in to the dark sky and stand in awe as it goes, BOOM? Do they still Ooh and Aah as the vibrant colors fill the horizon with sparkles of red, green, white, gold, and all the colors of the rainbow? Or are they so used to the monotony of packed powder and ear-shattering explosions, they look at the finale of orchestrated chaos and go, “Good show. Let’s pack it up.”, while the audience is still reeling with adrenaline of being so deceptively close to danger and talking to one another of how the music was perfectly synced and a child, who may have just experienced their first fireworks show, releases their vice grip on their parents’ hand and has to physically close their mouth so they can swallow and say, “THAT WAS AWESOME!” Do the orchestrators of such magic and awe still feel it themselves? Or, like a lot of things we were so impressed with that have lost their luster; believing in Santa Claus, magic tricks, how a plane flies, we simply have seen too much or know too much or just know the secrets. So we’re not amazed anymore.

I want to be amazed. I want to look at a hot air balloon and be amazed at how it can float in the sky and hold people in a tiny wicker basket at sunset. I want to see the lights of a carnival and be amazed by the blinking and twinkling of all the little bulbs. I want to go to a play, or musical, and be amazed at the lights and set movements and performances all practiced over and over to give the illusion that what I’m seeing is happening for the very first time. I want to be amazed by the sound of laughter. I want to be amazed by the feeling of a cool breeze on my face. I want to be amazed at a blooming flower in Spring. I want to be amazed by fireworks, by music, by the flight of a hummingbird outside my window. I want to be amazed by life itself.

We’ve come so far, lived so much, we’ve forgotten how amazing it is we can even breathe. When was the last time you really, truly, thought how amazing it is you can breathe? We’ve seen so much, we’ve forgotten how amazing it is to see a duck float on a lake. We’ve been around the block so many times, we’ve forgotten how amazing it is to hear an orchestra tune up, then strike that first note completely together and make soundwaves feel so good.

I guess what I’m saying is, try not to take it all for granted. Life can be serious and there is a lot going on. But, take a moment and enjoy it. Enjoy the mystery and miracle of it. Be amazed.