Every day is Independence Day, if…

I’m camping alone with the dog at a reservoir, so I can go swimming. Because that’s what I do on the Fourth of July. But today there’ll be no fireworks.

I definitely won’t lie on my back in the sand, as I did as a child, behind the Surfside Community Center—yes that Surfside, my hometown. Back then, we were allowed to lie directly under the deafening noice, waiting for embers to fall from the sky. Living dangerously meant hoping for bits of smoldering ash to land on my blanket, or on my face, or in my hair. The ocean was a few feet away, so I could dive right in if I needed relief.

Today, there’s no relief in Surfside. People are buried under rubble. Fireworks are called off, of course, as they are in much of Colorado, where I live now. Wildfires are coming soon, so no gratuitous sparks are allowed.

My life, too, has been lacking its usual spark.

So on my way to camping, I listened—again—to The Untethered Soul, Michael Singer’s classic book on consciousness. I’ve also read it a few times. But still, I didn’t realize there was a connection to Independence Day. Until I woke up in my tent on day three, when at last I began to feel the peace I was seeking.

Singer says: If we learn to let go of what we think life should be, we can be free. If we remain centered with the small things, we will be fine when the really bad stuff happens. We can enjoy the life we have.

Lately, I’ve had some limiting ideas. Maybe you have too. For example:

Our bodies won’t break down. Yes, they will! In our 60s and beyond, our eyes may fail—as one of mine is doing. But there’s no margin in blaming the doctor who didn’t see us sooner. Or the genetic hand we were dealt. Singer says we’re best to remember that energy has nothing to do with age. If we let go of our vision of our young selves, we can see our way to being happy older people.

Our friends won’t die. Yes, they will! We don’t know what will kill them or when it will be. But if we’re lucky, we’ll live long enough to keep their memory alive. Whether we attend a memorial service in spirit (as I decided to do today) or in person, the miracle is that we met that friend in the first place.

Our thoughts are who we are. No, they’re not! Singer says: We are the subject. Our thoughts are the object. It takes a lot of energy to push aside thoughts and emotions we don’t want. But when our energy is flowing strongly and positively, it replenishes and recharges us. It’s only when we close our heart or close our mind, that energy can’t flow.

So, my friends, l don’t mean this will be easy. But if we can let go of regret, and blame, and self-recrimination, we can truly be free.

And every day can be Independence Day!