Opinion: Fireworks and trigger-freedom
By Teri L. Hansen
It’s that time of year again. The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, the mosquitoes are biting and the fireworks are banging.
With that comes the horror stories. Everyone has a Fourth of July story. Some are worse than others. I went to the lake for the fireworks show one year and watched half the beach get lit on fire after a mishap with artillery. And that was a show put on by the fire department–irony.
Each year I have to look up the times when fireworks are allowed. Not because I want to shoot them or because I am excited about the upcoming holiday. I do this to prepare myself. I am a veteran who served in Iraq. I don’t like fireworks and knowing when they are going to be lit off, helps me prepare. Now, this is not one of those situations in which I go off on a tangent about the need to be more considerate. So please keep reading.
Yes, I have issues with loud noises, outdoor crowds, and quite a number of other things. That is not anyone else’s problem, but my own. I just finished purchasing fireworks, because I will have three little boys at my home who will love to shoot them. I am not going to tell them that they can’t enjoy this holiday, because of my issues.
I have veteran friends all over the world and to be honest, I am one of the few who have an issue with fireworks. Many of them like blowing things up as much as the rest of the country. For the few of us out there who have this issue, we generally don’t make a fuss. However, I see it and hear about it every year and the comments are always the same, something to the effect of “They really need to consider the veterans out there. They can’t handle these fireworks.”
Speaking as a combat veteran, please enjoy yourselves and don’t worry about me. Are triggers a thing? Yes, of course they are, but that does not give license to be rude to folks for something that is legally within their rights. Triggers don’t mean people have to tiptoe around you. Triggers mean you should be aware of your own surroundings and limitations. I have had my triggers for more than a decade now, so I try to buy fireworks that don’t make a certain sound (some sound like a C-RAM which is a Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar system). I don't like those. I also get ear plugs. I make comfort food. Play good music. In short, I do what I can do for myself, because my issue shouldn’t deter others from good old fashioned fun.
There are an infinite amount of legal practices in this world that drive me nuts, but I will continue to not lose sleep over them. I will be irritated when people drive in the passing lane, I will be frustrated when someone chews popcorn with their mouth open at the theater, annoyed when people park a crew cab truck on main street and downright livid when my favorite taco shells are no longer for sale. I won't, however, let these first-world problems cause me to lose my grace and joy. Please don’t allow my triggers to make you lose grace and joy either.
Live and let live. Eat, drink and be merry. Life is too short to be projecting problems on other people. So please, this holiday weekend, be safe, try to keep all your fingers intact, don’t drink and drive…in fact, let me just give you a military safety briefing:
Don’t add to the population.
Don’t subtract from the population.
Stay out of the hospital, the newspaper and jail.
If you do end up in jail, establish dominance quickly.
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!
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