We all learned at an early age about the Founding Fathers’ Holy Trinity of endowments: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. As July 4 nears, it is entirely appropriate that we take a moment and reflect on what those ideas mean to us individually and collectively, as a community and a nation.
I could use this space to discuss my feelings about the way our beloved America is treating migrant families. I could share whether I believe it was wise for the United States to leave the U.N.’s Human Rights Council. I suppose I could muse on where we are as a civilization when an actor yells a famous curse word and then the last name of our commander in chief in front of a crowd and is rewarded with a standing ovation. I could focus on opiates, which are annihilating families, friends and futures from coast to coast.
It is, however, July, and being down in the dumps in summer is like being grouchy about pizza or complaining about a Ferrari’s gas mileage. In other words, no one wants to hear it, so why not focus on the positive?
In that spirit, and with no disrespect to Mr. Jefferson et al, here are a few truths that I hold to be self-evident.
The best entertainment for a child remains the great outdoors. Licking a lollipop at the summit of Mount Cube will always be more rewarding than watching 30 minutes of Ninjago. While you may never convince children of that intellectually, all parents know it to be true.
One should never place information about a secret Upper Valley swimming hole in the public domain. While we all know about roadside pull-outs and convenient places for a quick dip, we also have a few spots just for ourselves. Sometimes we trespass to get to them, sometimes we go uninvited, sometimes we are a guest. Regardless, there is a special magic in being in a place where no flatlander has ever been. Treasure those spots, and keep them a secret.
Outdoor ice cream trumps indoor ice cream. If you think differently, I am going to put tariffs on your mint chocolate chip.
As for ranking Upper Valley lakes, Mascoma and Fairlee are pretty much equally awesome.
When it comes to grilling, all men really are created equal. If you would care to debate this incontrovertible truth, I would advise you to consult Scripture: “Let he who has not burned chicken skin light the first briquette.” What men do with their accumulated grilling experience, however, is a different story.
Speaking of grilling, it is worth noting another fundamental life truth: It is always wise to salt a steak after cooking it. More generally, the easiest way to gussy up your own cooking is to invest in a few different salts. Having some flaky, coarse, fine, pink and smoked salt in the house brings just a little culinary sexiness to your everyday life, like a negligee under a sweatshirt.
It is tempting to devote even more time to food-related truths, but I doubt you need to be reminded that locally produced everything is perhaps the biggest perk of living in Vermont and New Hampshire. The reward for scraping ice off your windshield from November until April is the farms that are currently bursting with life. If you’re looking for a great way to invest about 7 bucks, I recommend buying some berries and challenging your kids to finish them before you get home. You will never forget it.
An underappreciated truth is that not using a towel is better than using a towel. On the first full day of summer vacation, I took my oldest son to play tennis in Norwich. One of his friends arrived simultaneously, planning to wade in the brook behind the courts. Like any liberty-loving parent, I let my son choose what he wanted to do. While I won’t be raising any Bjorn Borg, I am confident he was much happier splashing around in the cool water in his underpants … and even happier when he removed them and stood in the sun—– “Air-drying, Dad!” — for a minute before getting dressed and heading home.
When you stop and think about it, it would probably be a safe bet that a majority of Upper Valley residents would be willing to pledge their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to protect the life we are fortunate to live up here in the woods. We enjoy a purity, an innocence, a support system, a belief in each other that, frankly, do not always exist in other parts of the country or the world. Think of all the details of your life that you have shared with the people in your community. Consider the level of trust you have reached with them, where it is OK to talk about your children’s intellectual and social development, the state of your marriage, the relationship you have with your parents, your dreams and regrets. By some confluence of common ground and empathy, we offer ourselves to each other with the understanding that the risk is worth the reward, that these exchanges between community members are more valuable than money.
This week, as we look around at a chaotic and complex world, I will take a few moments to be thankful for the truths I have discovered so far. Hopefully, I will find time to pause to acknowledge that many more realities of life are out there, just waiting for me to find them.
And, despite her warts, I will acknowledge that living in America is overall a pretty good gig.
Mark Lilienthal lives in Norwich. He can be reached at mlilient@gmail.com.