Freedom

Yesterday my niece wrote on my Facebook page that she really enjoys reading my blog as she finds it really inspiring. She lives in Wilmington Delaware and I live in Bermuda so it’s a good way to provide advice and direction without judgment.
One of the things she wrote was, “I want so badly to just be FREE... I keep telling myself TO LET GO and LET GOD.”” Her statement totally resonated with me and I started thinking about what being free really means.
I wrote back to her, “It’s hard to let go and trust but that’s what we have to do if we ever want to be free. But remember freedom means different things to different people.”
So what is freedom? I believe freedom is a state of mind and it is easier for some to reach than others. We all believe that freedom is having the ability and flexibility to do what we want whenever we want. But think about it, if we did have the luxury to do whatever we want whenever we want, would we think we are truly free? Is there truly such a thing as freedom in the literal sense?
Sometimes I look at the homeless people on the street and think they are the ones who understand freedom. They live their lives without structure. Without anyone telling them what to do. Without any expectations. But the cost of their freedom is they have nowhere to call home so they lack a foundation, a place of the heart and that’s why their eyes always look so haunted - like they are trying to find their way home.
I look at some of the celebrities and rich and famous people who have all the freedom in the world but still they crash and burn because they put too much pressure on themselves to live a certain way. They make so much money and have access to just about anything their hearts desire but they get so caught up in being a celebrity or a rich and famous person that they forget to live in the moment and enjoy their abundance. They sometimes have the same haunted look in their eyes as the homeless person because though they have a place to call home, they have lost their souls in the process. Lost in their abundance. Clearly not free.
Some of our clearest examples of what freedom looks like are children. They have the clear whites in their eyes, the brightness of the soul and a care freeness that draws even the bitterest people in. They have no expectations. They dream. Believe in magic and believe that anything is possible. Their laughter is pure. Not forced. Their joy is infectious and their whole beings radiate love and light. So how do we lose the ability to be free once we become adults?
I believe it’s because we lose the ability to dream. We forget the magic. We box ourselves in by becoming cynical rather than open. We judge thereby limiting our possibilities. We believe that if we are struggling that it is worth it rather than finding something that satisfies our being. We lose touch with our authentic selves and spend the rest of our lives trying to reconnect.
Nature shows us every day just how easy it is to be free. Trees stand firm on still days then bend and flex during windy days. Birds fly freely on clear days then go into hiding in storms. Plants flourish when the conditions are right; wither when they aren’t.
Freedom means accepting ourselves for who we are and always acknowledging our authentic selves so that when we are confronted by any condition or storm we have the ability to respond to it accordingly and it does not matter how much money or possessions we have.
Freedom is truly a state of mind without boundaries ,without expectations ,without judgement.
Freedom just is.