True Freedom

Freedom, if not my highest personal value, is certainly in the top three (along with Being Awake and Telling the Truth). My early environment seemed to limit me in countless ways – everything was divided into good and bad. Good = smart, looking pretty, being nice/kind/generous/supportive/demure. Bad = making B’s in school, looking skanky, being rude/selfish/vulgar. Girls cook, clean and babysit. Boys hunt, fish, camp, play sports. Hmmm.

Since I didn’t like cooking/cleaning and I did like sports/camping/hunting/fishing, my question was, “Am I free to enjoy what I want?”  or  “Must I accommodate the limits of acceptable behavior for a girl?” So I did what any self-respecting, Type A personality would do, I did both.

It wasn’t until my late 30s/early 40s, with my involvement in The More To Life Program, that I realized – I’ve always been free. Always. Free. Everywhere except in my mind – therein lay all the dictums of proper/acceptable behavior – for me, as well as for everyone else on the planet. Education and international travel disabused me of the notion of “same.” That’s when the world became ever more fascinating. Options, everywhere options and possibilities.

What I know now is that the only True Freedom I have is to follow my heart/gut – knowing there is no guarantee – of anything – requiring curiosity and courage – especially radical trust in my journey, faith in the/my process. How exciting is True Freedom!!