Kay:
Hey there Questers and welcome back. It’s Monday, June 14th and this is episode 376. Today is Flag Day and if you don’t know what that is, it’s a day where we get to celebrate you know it, our country’s great flag. In this celebration, we have a quote from Barack Obama, and he says, “In the face of impossible odds people who love this country can change it.”
Shi:
Well, Flag Day is kind of just a fun, lighthearted day to think back on our country if you’re here in the United States and particularly the story of the flag and how it’s come to represent our ideals, our values, our freedom. But I know for many of us as we work personally on our ideals and our values and our freedom that we come up against friction or opposition or challenges that seem insurmountable. That’s what I love about bringing this quote in is that it says people who love this country can change it. So, it’s with that love that you can change it, not with the bitter hatred of what is or isn’t happening but truly that love of something helps you propel it forward into change.
Kay:
When we think about how our founding fathers really reacted to this idea of loving the country, they wanted to create a place for people of all countries and nations to come together into this melting pot that was to be a new dream for the world at large. That’s exactly what our country has become. America’s been facing impossible odds since the beginning.
Shi:
We like to talk about that a lot and even joke about the fact that the United States of America is like the teenager of the world right now, just still figuring out exactly what our place is and our style and our leanings towards things. But one thing you can say for sure is that there’s a lot of passion and innovation and creativity in this country and that is intentional and that it has been cultivated over the years by people who love this country. On my run this morning I was listening to a 4th of July playlist as we get into the mood for the holiday coming up here and “Proud to be an American” came on by Pat Boone. Normally I would absolutely skip over that song but I wanted to just take a minute to listen as I was on my run and seeing the sunrise and being part of this great land. The whole world is beautiful but being part of the United States of America feels really special because we are so young on the scene in terms of historical context and being part of something that’s new and that hasn’t been done before, gives me a lot of love and pride and Kay, I know it does for you too.
Kay:
Well as we fly our flag in pride of our country it is important to remember that there’s a lot of change ahead and there’s so much change that was fought for along the way. From the change of this country being an indigenous land into actually getting colonized (and not to say that was a good thing but that was a change) and then the change of establishing a nation and the change of abolishing slavery and the change of additional civil rights and women’s rights and watching us progress. It goes to show that the odds have been impossible all along and it really is people who love this country who have changed it in the past, which means that Barack Obama’s quote really stands true here because it’s those who love the country that will continue to change it as we progress forward.
Shi:
Isn’t it funny how we can call odds impossible until they get conquered, overcome, and then there’s the next set of odds that are “impossible” but, with that, love means all things ARE possible and that’s one thing most of us agree on? So, to remind you of Barack Obama’s quote, “In the face of impossible odds people who love this country can change it.”
Kay:
Alrighty, gang, that means today’s quest is a Love your Country Quest. Today we want you to honor and love your country by partaking in at least one random act of kindness within your community. Love your country by loving your fellow humans. Are you ready? You know, the words.
Kay & Shi:
Let’s quest!
