My life is full of structure with schedules to get kids to and from school and taking care of family obligations. Yet, I work from home and have the freedom to set my own schedule. I don’t really think about the word freedom very much or my own freedom. I’ve always had this general perspective that we create our own freedom.
Merriam Webster defines freedom as follows:
1: the quality or state of being free: such as
a : the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action
b : liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another : independence
c : the quality or state of being exempt or released usually from something onerous
freedom from care
d : unrestricted use
gave him the freedom of their home
spoke the language with freedom
f : the quality of being frank, open, or outspoken
answered with freedom
g : improper familiarity
h : boldness of conception or execution
Near the end of a massage today, the therapist was focusing in the area of my ribs. She found a really tender spot that I knew she was barely touching and I squirmed a bit and she shared that she had the sense it was about freedom, as the rib cage often represents our freedom. I laughed out loud because in that moment, I realized that I don’t feel like I have any freedom right now. I realized that my constrained schedule of school pickups and family obligations leaves me feeling that I don’t have any freedom. I was surprised and I realized quickly that I don’t want to hold onto that belief! Freedom is the gift we were given to live and experience on this planet. That freedom is our freedom of choice and that choice comes from our thoughts. Immediately, I chose a new thought, a thought that says I AM FREE! I have the freedom to do what I want when I want, even during that drive to and from school. I can choose joy or I can choose frustration. That choice is mine!
Are you wiling to chose freedom? Are you willing to chose it even when it doesn’t FEEL like you have any? The ability to do this really just takes practice. Choosing a thought is a just a skill. Learning a new skill takes practice. Are you willing to practice?New Paragraph