Freedom to Try

A few weeks ago, I was driving along Liberty Bay Road (near the town of Poulsbo) when I had a Deja vu moment. I slowed down as I approached a familiar road on the right. I recalled my husband and I turning up this gravel road over forty years ago as we approached the driveway of one of First American Records music executives. 

He lived in a beautiful home near the top of a hill featuring a sweeping view of Liberty Bay.  In our newlywed eyes, it represented having “made it” in the music business.  

We’d met him once before in his Seattle office—with music group photos lining dark paneled walls. He had a huge desk with stacks of record albums of aspiring musicians. He was friendly as we pulled out our 45 record, along with some newspaper articles written about our efforts. He listened politely as we explained our hopes for our music career.

 


He was a savvy businessman and definitely knew the mountains we faced between us and our goal. 

 

We were young and our tenacity made up for some of our naivety. He said we definitely needed to try and so we did.

 

That’s the beautiful thing about America—we have the freedom to try.

 

So, as I drove past that driveway, I pondered all of that decades-old history. Our music goals were reshaped by life—but we never have lost our freedom to try and do life the way we wanted. 

 

Isn’t that what makes America so great? 

 

As our nation celebrates 247 years, the freedom to try is still all of ours. Not all those efforts succeed but we can dream our own dreams—and work hard to see what happens.

 

Let’s celebrate our freedom and work to keep our nation a place where we have the freedom to try. Enjoy your Independence Day!


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