Wear the Hat! You've earned it.

Tomorrow is the 4th of July, a time for fireworks, family, and singed fingertips from touching the grill too soon.

It’s the time to drag out the lawn chairs, grab a cold one, and try to remember where you packed the bug spray last September.

But it’s also a moment to pause and think:

We’re halfway through 2025.

Let that marinate in your sunscreen-slathered brain for a second.

And if you’re anything like me, it’s tempting to get caught up in everything that’s wrong, the headlines, the heat, the fact that last year’s shorts are now legally classified as compression garments.

The world feels heavy sometimes.

But here’s the thing: you get to choose joy.

You get to laugh anyway, hug anyway, grill anyway, even if the burgers look more like hockey pucks than food.

And you get to wear the hat.

Yes, that hat. The one you bought on impulse because it made you feel fabulous.

Too big, too loud, too feathered, too ridiculous?

Perfect.

Wear it anyway.

Wear the red, white, and rhinestones.

Wear the sunhat with the floppy brim that blocks three people’s view of the fireworks.

Wear the sequined fedora that says, “I came to the party but I nap by 8.”

Wear it because life is too short to wait for the “right” occasion.

Today is the occasion.

You woke up. You showed up. You’re still here. That deserves a celebration, and maybe a side of potato salad.

So laugh too loud. Hug too long. Eat dessert before dinner.

And most of all?

Wear the hat.

You’ve earned it!