Party in the U.S.A.

First off, can we all acknowledge that this heat has become deeply, personally offensive?

And I say that as a Southerner. I know heat. I’ve lived through summers where the air was as fresh as coffee breath, and humidity clung to you like a wet pair of jeans.

But this, up here in the Midwest, feels different somehow.

I haven’t styled my hair in over a week. I wash it, scrunch in some product, and head outside to accept my fate.  

My weather app should stop telling me what the temps feel like and just say, “Oh, stay inside, ya big baby, and do something about that hair”.

Meanwhile, we’re having some work done on our house: a pergola, some porch rails, and, to The Balkan Storm's great delight, a flag mount for the porch.

His chest is swelling with American pride. Mine from water retention.

God, this heat.

This weekend, America turns 250. You’d think a milestone like that would come with better plans for some of us than ‘hope it don’t rain’, but here we are.

I can't help but wonder how the rest of the country’s celebrations will turn out. I mean, turn on any news station, and you’d think we’re just one comment away from societal collapse.

We’re divided, we’re angry, and we can’t agree on anything. More details at eleven.

I’ve been watching the World Cup coverage, and I’m not just talking about the matches. I’m talking about the visitors coming in from all over the world, celebrating and posting their own videos on social media.

Nothing about politics. No, it’s all about people, vibes, cleanliness, food, air conditioning, big-box stores, and gas stations, all while drinking the local beer distributors dry.

Scottish fans took over Boston so much that it’s now being called New Scotland. A restaurant owner drove total strangers to a match just because they couldn’t find an Uber.

Firefighters gave station tours to curious tourists who’d wandered in.  A deli owner in the South gave British tourists free lunch just for coming all that way.

And they’re pretty much all saying the same thing: everyone is so friendly.

Not Team Red or Team Blue. Team Humanity.

Now, we are divided. I won’t relax in the shade of the new pergola and pretend otherwise. We disagree about some pretty important things, but when you step back enough (say, the distance of a Norwegian tourist marveling at Buc-ee’s), what you really see is a country full of imperfect people doing their best.

Making friends with people who barely speak their language. Eagerly sharing something from ‘their’ side of the world with someone who’s never heard of it, and relishing the reaction.

Costco. American school buses. Walmart ("I can get bread, milk, and an air rifle," said one amazed tourist). Ranch dressing. Free refills...with ice!

And Americans are joining their new friends in traditions like placing traffic cones on the heads of statues. Doing the Viking Row on dry land with the Norwegians. Hopping left and right along with the Orange Army.

I’ve heard it referred to as The Great American Sleep Over, and I feel that’s the best way to describe it. I mean, think about it, we had about a bajillion guests show up, we fed them way too much, taught them our weird stuff, learned their weird stuff, and had way too much fun in general.

That's exactly how it should be, isn't it?

The news says we can’t stand each other, while our guests are saying we’re the friendliest house in the whole neighborhood.

Somebody’s lying to us, and I don’t think it’s the guys launching traffic cones.

So, without going down a whole rabbit hole, I'll just say that I hope this is the vibe this weekend: everybody just being nice. Everyone having fun together, eating too much, staying up too late, and remembering why we like living here.

Less media, more traffic cones. No arguments more serious than ‘does ketchup belong on a hot dog'. (It does.)

Happy 250^th, America. You’re a weird house, but I love you.

P.S. – Suck it, England.
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Heather Papovich is the voice behind Unfinished Business. She's seen some things. She'll tell you about them.