Well, hello, my friends, and welcome to the Live Inspired podcast Monday morning moments with John O'Leary, Independence weekend style. We continue it forward on to this Monday morning moments with John O'Leary Independence weekend style. We continue it

forward on to this Monday morning. We're going to begin with a quote from our dear friend Maya

Angela who wrote Love Life, Engage in it. Give it all you've got. Love it with a passion because

life truly does give back many times over what you put into it.

All right.

So remember being little and how natural it was to die fully into life.

Remember those days?

When we raised our hands, when questions were asked, we made best friends with everyone on the playground.

When we were the first ones into

and then the last ones out of the pool. And then we got a bit older. We stopped raising our hands

quite as much. We stopped opening up as much to others. Heck, not only were we not the first

ones into the pool, we stopped even wearing a swimster to pool

parties. We started making excuses and we stopped being quite as active. Well, over the weekend,

we celebrated the Fourth of July, Independence weekend here in the United States. Among the festivities

occurring in our local community was the annual parade. Our little town still has police cars and

fire trucks blare their sirens to commence the beginning of the parade. Marching bands and

cheerleaders and politicians follow. Local businesses throw candy to the kids, Corvette enthusiasts

drive slowly waving to the crowd, and veterans from various

wars wave to the children, and for sure they receive and deserve the biggest ovation.

In watching from the sidewalk last Friday, I recalled finally a far less conventional parade

that epitomizes the active dive into life

that I'm hoping we can achieve and move forward into boldly going forward.

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