While many of our friends and family were soaking up the sun, watching fireworks, or grilling out, my husband and I took the rare three days off to WORK around our house. As any homeowner can attest to, there is ALWAYS a project. And we had many, many projects we wanted to complete. We got about 80% of them done, so I’m happy, or am I?

From pressure washing, to new mulch, to painting, and more – sure the house looks great, but as Sunday night approached, I kept thinking about how the one weekend we had off – no events, no reunions or showers, no weddings or family obligations, we spent most of it dirty, tired, pissed off, sore, tired again, and burnt. We are two pale Italians ( it’s our Irish heritage shining through), so three days in the 85 degree heat doesn’t do a body good.

I was mad at myself for not grilling out one of those beautiful days, and only watching fireworks on TV, and not going somewhere. Do you guys feel like you’re wasting life if you’re not out there LIVING it??? We already spend most of our time working for someone else, stuck in an office, or in a home office, so when we do have free time, why can’t we just relax and forget about everything we have to do. I think it’s impossible. For me it is anyway.

If I would have blown off the home projects and went to the lake, or to fireworks, my mind wouldn’t have really been there. I would have been thinking about what I was slacking on, and calculating how I was going to make up for it. It’s sad that we are so busy in our everyday lives that we never really feel truly relaxed. And with the constant dinging of emails, Facebook, Twitter, etc., etc., our lives are just a constant and overwhelming TO DO LIST or TO FOLLOW UP ON LIST.

I know things needed done, but things will always need done. And now we are booked the next bazillion weekends, and we won’t have that freedom again. Freedom (something I really should have thought about, it was the Fourth of July for goodness sake) was not what we celebrated. So guess what, we are taking next weekend and making it our Fourth. I told my husband we are spending the entire day Saturday doing something FUN. I don’t’ care where it is, how far we have to drive, how much it costs, what the weather will be, how backed up on work I will get. I just want to have a day OFF. I’m sick of being ON all the time. I want to unwind, take out my “batteries” and just feel FREE.

Take your Fourth! We all work hard. We all deserve it. Fireworks aren’t just bright lights in the sky one night of the year. Sure they magically make us feel like a kid, they make us ohh and aww, they take us away from reality. But, we can find fireworks on any day of the year. It’s the feeling – now go capture it!! #takeyourfourth