One greeting that catches my attention every year is “Have a happy and SAFE 4th of July.” Or, “Have a SAFE holiday.”

I would suppose they simply mean, “Don’t go blow yourself up.”

Have a SAFE 4th of July? As I reflect on independence, “safe” isn’t one of those words I come up with. That is not to say I want you to go blow yourself up. But, we’ve taken a national holiday and turned into safety camp.

This is a day of celebration, for Americans, concerning independence. Something declared in the cauldron of war with the risk of being executed if they could not win that war. “Safe” just isn’t one of those words that should be associated with well wishes on this holiday.

Freedom.

Liberty.

Courage.

And don’t go blow your hand off, okay?