MonuMental

For the second time in my life I’m claiming the 4th of July as a personal independence day, a day where I have decided to be free from the worries that have slowly come to haunt me. Whether these be real, merely possible, or entirely self-inflicted, I claim an internal victory over how these things will be interpreted. A few years ago while walking around Belle Isle this idea of letting go of the troubles I was toting around came to me and this secondary meaning for the 4th of July was born, in my world at least. That day I had my iPod on playing The Underground Sound of DC and I kept my camera in my hand. Despite having lived in or around Richmond my whole life, this was my first real day around Belle Isle and so I really took my time walking around, taking pictures of everything around me  from different angles and enjoying this icon of Richmond city living. It was a beautiful day. Over a few hours I delved deeper into my commitment to be free of the needless energy spent on the things that had started to be a part of my every day.

It made me think of The Jazz Poet’s Society’s song Sugar where they’re saying “people living in my head, but they ain’t paying rent”, which is a way to describe the people who cause you to keep them on your mind all day, worried about what they’re doing, or what they’re saying, what they might or might not do that might cause you pain. The events of that day were monumental to the Me. 

Happy 4th of July, Happy Independence Day, to the whole of America. Me included.