Jon Oliver from "Last Week Tonight" once said that most firework displays were the sequence of one blue burst, one red burst, then one white, then a combination of all three. Then, for the finale, it seemed like someone just lit all of them because they were tired and had a show on the DVR at home, but let's stop for a moment and think about this.
Do you ever actually remember that display?
I know every year, around the Fourth of July, my dad would be off work, usually with a three-day weekend. We would grill food like hamburgers, hot dogs some chicken. Mom and I would spend all morning in the kitchen making potato salad and cutting fruits for easy, grab-and-go snacks. We would eat and talk and enjoy the usual hot summer day in Oklahoma. After lunch, we would swim or lounge around. We had nothing to do or worry about, so why not relax? Then, around dusk, you would start to hear the sounds of little children lighting little firecrackers and laughing. Soon, the big firecrackers would start to go off. My family was never big into shooting them off ourselves. We would just sit and watch all of the neighbors.
Then I noticed a sign stuck in a yard.
Combat veteran lives here: Be courteous with fireworks.
These signs have been a growing sensation all over the country. You can see the whole story on them and even buy a sign for a loved one at www.militarywithptsd.org. I encourage you to check out the Explosion of Kindness 2016 map. This map has a marker for every sign, and I would like to see it filled by the end of this year. They have already shipped out double the amount they started with in 2015. Their goal is to ship 10,000 firework signs to veterans by the end of this year.
I have studied Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for years and know much on the subject. That is even why I am studying to be a psychologist here at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. I know the effects, and I have seen my fair share of examples. I would never want to learn that something that I celebrate is causing someone else pain or flashbacks. I hope people take time and realize that this sign can benefit everyone in your community.
These signs are all over. One may be in your neighborhood. One may be in your front lawn. So, my challenge for you this week is if you know someone there is a veteran who suffers from PTSD, please seek them out and tell you when you will be shooting off fireworks. These signs do not mean you can't celebrate in your usual fashion, they are only asking for some courtesy. This way, everyone will enjoy their Fourth of July this year.
