Expendable

We went away for the July 4 weekend and I had to forgo my duties in town during the Old Home Day parade, which is a big deal in this town, and rightly so. They do an amazing job and people come from all around to take part. It's a lot of fun and a taste of small town life. A few years back I got cajoled into being the grand marshall, which meant that I organized the parade. I stood at the front and told people what order they would be marching in, and then got the party started. I worked closely with the Old Home Day committee, which is a great group of people.

Anyway, this year since we were away, the show went on without me, and from what I heard, it was a great parade and festival. While I'm glad things went well and felt bad that I had to bail, sometimes it's a jolt when you realize how expendable you are. Then again, this gets me off the hook for the coming years. Given the choice, I'd probably lean toward removing myself from the organizing and just enjoying the day, but I also feel the compulsion to be useful and contribute. Hopefully the latter feeling will pass.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Ane Miller for the pic.