“We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”

– David Brower

Today we sit perched on the edge of a three-day weekend.  There is nothing like the Fourth of July to entice people outdoors, away from their daily indoor routines and into the beauty of summer.  We will picnic and swim and hike and travel, and we will enjoy the simple pleasure of breathing in the wonder of the world around us.

I remember my great-aunt, Essie, telling us the stories of holiday celebrations in her tiny farm town 100 years ago.  One newspaper clipping showed her mother’s house, decorated with patriotic colors to celebrate the 4th.  As I remember her stories, I think they are part of what makes Independence Day exciting and special for me.  It is a warm and comforting thing to think of carrying on traditions that have been a part of our family for more that 100 years.  We will not spread blankets on the ground and carry our food in baskets.  We will cook on gas grills and keep our beverages cold in insulated coolers.  We will sit under canopies at picnic tables that fold flat for storage when they are not needed.  Traditions go on; but time transforms them.  I stop for a moment and wonder what my own great-grandchildren might tell their children about a picnic on the Fourth of July.

I have the pleasure of living only four miles from my childhood home; and even in my lifetime, I have seen tremendous change in the face of the world I live in.  Narrow dirt roads topped with oil and stone have long been paved.  Cornfields and meadows have been replaced with housing developments; and with those houses have come increased population, increased traffic, and decreased open space.  No longer do my children have the simple pleasure of exploring the woods and picking wild strawberries and raspberries.  No longer is it safe for them to venture into the busy traffic and find their way to the spot by the river where I spent many carefree summer days.  The world has changed in a very short time from a place unspoiled by human interference to one where fast-food wrappers seem to pop up everywhere, and nobody seems to feel responsible for picking them up and caring for the world we share.

We know what we inherited from our ancestors.  We still practice some of the traditions handed down by generations past.  It is time now for us to consider what it is that we are creating for the generations to come.  What will their picnics be like?  Will the Fourth of July 2111 be celebrated atop a landfill?  Will our grandchildren need to picnic indoors in order to avoid a toxic environment?  There is no better time than a day filled with tradition to make an effort to preserve the world we hold in trust for our children.  Wherever you go, and whatever you do, take along a bag for trash.  Leave your space the way you found it; or better yet, clear whatever trash you find when you arrive as well.  Leave your picnic spot in the sort of condition you would like your children to find it 100 years from now.  Be kind to the world you hold in trust for them.  It truly is the legacy passed from one generation to another.