Dear #Positivity Friends,

Every July 4^th, cities and towns across America pull out all the stops to celebrate our nation’s birthday. Jackson Hole, Wyoming starts the day with a big pancake breakfast in the town square and ends with an old-timey rodeo and fireworks against the backdrop of the majestic Teton Mountain Range. Speaking of mountains, Seward, Alaska hosts a 5K race up and down Mount Marathon on a course known for its brutally rough natural terrain. The competition is serious for elite mountain runners from around the world, while the goal for everyone else is just to finish the race in one piece. (That doesn’t sound like a “fun run” to me!)



Nashville, Tennessee puts the Music City’s twist on Independence Day with its “Let Freedom Sing!” extravaganza, which features the biggest names in country music. In Boston, Massachusetts, there’s a mid-morning reading of the Declaration of Independence at the Old State House on Boston’s historic Freedom Trail. And when night falls, your patriotic heart will burst when the Boston Pops plays Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture as fireworks explode over the Charles River.

While all of those festivities sound amazing, I fall hard for a 4^th of July parade every single time. Always a thrill is “America’s National Independence Day Parade” in Washington, D.C., a procession that features the country’s finest marching bands, fife-and-drum corps, and equestrian displays, and that’s punctuated by waving celebrities and giant balloons along the way. The parade in Alameda, California is also a must-see, famous as it is for being the longest in the United States, stretching for more than three miles from end to end. Finally, on every parade-lover’s bucket list is the country’s oldest, which takes place in Bristol, Rhode Island, where “patriotic exercises” have marked the day since 1785.

No matter where or how we celebrate this 4^th of July, let’s remind ourselves that freedom isn’t free. Our country’s independence came at great cost all those years ago and costs us dearly to defend today. So let’s do right by the history and ideals that the “stars and stripes” represent.

As always, I hope you’re enjoying this newsletter. Please pass it along and encourage your family and friends to sign up.

With hope and positivity,

Romir Parker, a 12-year-old from Petersburg, Virginia, is a bona fide hero. Parker was at home recently with his grandmother and two young siblings when he heard a strange noise. He went downstairs to investigate and was met with thick, dark smoke. He instinctively grabbed his brother and sister—one in each arm—and got them outside to safety. Then he raced back into the house and ushered his grandmother outside as well. The City of Petersburg honored Parker with a proclamation for “demonstrating a level of bravery and presence of mind well beyond his years.” Fire Chief Wayne Hoover also made the boy an honorary firefighter, with an offer to join the fire brigade when he gets older.

Dinner with King Tut

by Sam Kean

We’ve all seen photos or paintings depicting the events of history. But what about the smells, sounds, tastes, and textures that are the lost parts of the story? Author Sam Kean and his band of experimental archeologists allow you experience the past with all your senses. They recreate historical scenes from many different perspectives, such as making food from ancient recipes, building Roman-style roads, or constructing weapons using long-ago techniques. This utterly unconventional and entertaining book will make you see history in a whole new light.