I remember when I was younger I use to love the 4th of July. It was my absolute favorite holiday. I would always dress in red, white and blue. I was extremely patriotic. But that was then, and this is now. 

Now, I am not a fan of any kind of nationalistic activities because it creates division where there doesn’t really need to be any. And I don’t love fireworks, as I used to, after I learned how much they pollute. But aside from that, what changed? I changed. I changed who I am and the things that I believe, and as a result, this day- this holiday that I used to love, I now don’t. 

Contrast that with Christmas, a holiday that I used to loathe because there was a lot of commercialism and misunderstanding of what the day is for. I grew up with a fervently Christian mother who was adamant that Christmas was not about presents, it’s about celebrating Jesus. So that’s the belief system that I had. And when people would talk about presents and what they were doing for Christmas, I judged them according to that belief system, “Well, if you don’t go to church then you’re doing Christmas wrong.”  

Over the years, while living in Australia, my feelings changed. Many people in Australia celebrate Christmas, not because they’re Christians but just as a family holiday. So, I was able to look beneath the surface and see it as a reason for gathering. That this is a reason to come together more than anything else. 

Fast forward to today where I don’t really have an opinion on any holiday at all, either way. It’s been a shift from I like it, to I don’t like it, to neutrality. And all of these shifts came from me being willing to examine what’s underneath what I believed. 
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