Today, the United States celebrates its birthday. I embrace the better parts of the July 4th holiday–BBQ, the middle of summer, family, friends, and fireworks.
Ellis Island and the hope for something more has resonated with me for the better part of my life and despite revisionist history and that which divides us, I am proud, lucky and grateful to be an American. I also don’t know that there was room for Matchmakers in pre-colonial America:)
One observation (and it’s not mine) is that America never really broke from the class system. One class permeates our lives daily. Celebrity.
I can find at least one context where Celebrity applies to dating. The Celebrities who have risen later on in life (Clooney fame as opposed to Bieber fame) tend to remember life before their faces were plastered on billboards and adorning the covers of magazines.
Through my work, I find that the clients who did not find a wedding photographer in their face at twenty-four (or did but the moment did not last) likewise appreciate what they have now more than when they were twenty-four or perhaps moreso than the twenty-four year old. [with all due respect to the twenty-four year old]
I will say that the wait and the hope to find a meaningful relationship has given clients a tremendous appreciation for what they’ve found, even if it didn’t happen right away.
So as we appreciate July 4th, perhaps the ‘class’ thing to do on this holiday would be to continue to appreciate the relationships we have–and know that there is a beacon of hope for the new ones to come.
As always, I would love to hear your thoughts.