What independence means to me…
It’s been 175 days and then some since the fires decimated The Palisades and turned my world upside down. Enough moping; it’s clearly not bringing the life I lost back. It’s time to take stock of where I am with myself to see what’s changed, what’s better, what’s worse, and where I could use some improvement as a human being.
I find myself finishing this blog post on July 4th, a time of great celebrations in the country I love and cherish so deeply. The observance of Independence Day in The Palisades historically is probably in line with how The Vatican recognizes the 40 days of Lent plus Easter Sunday all in one. Lawn and plastic chairs line Sunset Boulevard days in advance for the most observant to get a bird’s eye view (because the promise of views is everything in The Palisades) of all of the festivities. People used to don their most patriotic blues while well wishing at Starbuck’s or Noah’s in the early morning before partaking in fun runs and other activities that spoke to their high levels of fitness. The well orchestrated parade included celebrities, locals, and all those non residents fortunate enough to have discovered and hiked the sacred trails of Temescal on a Sunday before or after visiting The Farmer’s Market.
This year is different for the most obvious of reasons and this year also has me thinking confidently about how The 4th of July will be pulled together in The Palisades come 2026. Fascinatingly, for me and I pray for the rest of my beachside kinfolk, the idea of celebrating Independence Day will come with a new definition of the day and all of the days that follow when we finally return home.
I had to look up the definition of the word, even though I was fairly confident I understood the concept of independence on the face of it. According to Merriam Webster (one of my favorites of the dictionary variety, as a child I used to like to sit in my closet with a large hardback copy, teaching myself the most fantastical of words…I digress yet again) Independence is “a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory.” A UCLA student of Political Science with a specialization in American Politics, in theory, I understand the founding fathers and why they left Great Britain. What I am starting to question is while the objective of “independence” is a noble one, it isn’t truly achieved without INTERDEPENDENCE as evidenced by our early reliance on the native population and how we chose to honor their generosity towards us in the early days. That’s a conversation for another time, but it does support my point. Man doesn’t erect homes and countries on his, her, or their own; it truly takes a village and not only Caruso’s.
So, when I consider celebrating Independence Day next year, I would hope that it was earned by truly doing my part to help my neighbors and my community get back on its feet as that can only have a reciprocal, positive effect on my own life. When I think about the rebuild, I think more of the public spaces than I do of my own home. Theatre Palisades is as critical to my well being as is The Y, Gelson’s, Paliskates, and Mina’s haberdashery on Via De La Paz, just to name a few sacred spaces. When the wreckage from the flames is corrected, I intend to volunteer more, join more committees, work with The Chamber on a restorative level. I want to listen more actively to my friends and colleagues. Conversely, I want to share what my needs are instead of deciding to keep my fears, concerns, and insecurities bottled up like a fine wine and to myself. I aspire to live more interdependently in a way that I share what words hurt, which ones inform, and how I can speak and write effectively as that is my chosen vocation.
The one area of interdependent living in which I am going to be MOST intentional? Independence from those who don’t share the worldview I do. This is not judgment on my part, instead, it’s just I can acutely recognize people whose hearts beat and speak with the same rhythm as mine post fires. The greatest gift I received from the displacement and the decimation is that I found my tribe in a way I never truly had before. I am fused to the likeminded through the inconceivable trauma of this and we are genuinely there for each other. That’s the highest level of independence: the kind that makes you dependent and vulnerable in the safest of spaces and places while recognizing and honoring others and one’s interdependence. Vulnerability is respected like I never quite experienced before. I may be involuntarily independent from my town, but the gift is to grow back stronger to embrace a new version of life that will far surpass anything I can conceive in my imagination.
Until then, I wish fireworks in the skies above for those in celebratory spirits….We may not recognize our town and our country currently, but there is opportunity in the confusion. This country was founded on our voices and how we project them with free speech. We are afforded platforms to disagree while eliciting change many other countries don’t allow their citizenry. We were promised we are one nation under God, so why can’t we we dig in and shape our future with faith, liberty, and justice for all? Opportunities abound…I have to believe that even though current events support otherwise. This is America and I want to shape both this country and myself into something of which I can be proud. I know I am not an island onto myself; one step in the write and right direction is all it takes to truly celebrate…