I’m old enough to have been around for the buildup to the bicentennial celebration in ’76. My imperfect memory is that people and organizations from various corners of our culture were eager to get on board with birthday number 200 and turn it into a giant celebration of the US of A. Then, it felt like the big deal that it was, because democracies can have a short shelf life, and memories from that time stick with me.

The hijacked version of #250 was a predictable product of over promise then — no surprise — under deliver, so we celebrated in our own way, grilling hot dogs with the family, going for a bike ride on the Champlain Islands, meeting a variety of delightful people from all walks of life, and eating maple creemees. It was very American in a way that the overpriced official festivities weren’t. And, no one called me a communist, not even once.

Happy 250, nation of ours. You get a lot wrong, but that’s okay. It’s fuel for those who care to rededicate ourselves to making the USA a more perfect union. And acknowledging flaws doesn’t get in the way of appreciating all that our nation does right.