When was the last time you stopped to think about freedom and what it means to you?  I almost never do until something comes up that makes me realize how truly free I am.

Do you feel free?  What makes you feel that way?  Do you feel free because of the country you live in?  The kind of job you have?  The people that surround you or don’t surround you?

The definition of free is “not under the control or in the power of another; able to act or be done as one wishes”.  Does that shift your answer?

The Covid19 lockdown was a big lesson for me in freedom.  It actually made me feel free, even with all that was going on in many ways.  I felt free to get up when I wanted and go to bed when I wanted; to eat when I wanted and do what I wanted.  Kind of like what I think being retired will feel like even though I worked remotely for a few hours every day.  Granted I lost my freedom because I couldn’t leave the house much and I couldn’t go to work.  But I do like my own company and my home is a wonderful sanctuary to be “stuck” in.  Plus, an added bonus was that I didn’t feel guilty I wasn’t getting up at 6 am every day and heading off into horrible traffic to work.  I felt incredibly lucky I wasn’t sick and grateful for all of those still working to help the rest of us.  How did you feel during that time?

Have you ever felt guilty because you felt free?  A couple of those types of instances might be because we feel free after a divorce or after a death if someone that has been difficult to deal with.  While we may not want to shout those times from the rooftops, it is a valid time to feel relief or a sense of freedom.

When it comes down to it, freedom is something every human being needs.  That sense that we can be and do whatever we want.  Some people never have that in their lives, and others feel free even when they are in prison.  Make your choice to feel freedom and cherish those moments!