September 12

FREEDOM MONTH: DAY 12: “Freedom is not the absence of commitments, but the ability to choose – and commit myself to – what is best for me.” ― Paulo Coelho

Most of us believe we will be completely free when we get the right job, the right relationship, the right amount in our bank account, and so on.

Freedom is not being allowed to do whatever we want; but the freedom to shift our awareness of and attitude about what we have committed to doing. If that is a job, and our story is that we hate our job, we need to shift that to a place of service to others, or a frame of mind that we choose.

If we are in a troubled relationship, the choices are varied. We can avoid and criticize the other person, or we can learn to love and accept them as being the exact partner we are supposed to learn from today. Or we can leave. There are many options.

What is true for all of us is the story that we tell around the situation and how that impacts our feelings and beliefs about it. These are freely changed whenever we want. Hanging on to what is unsatisfying and creating friction in our minds, bodies, and lives is up to us.

The Universe has no system for punishment that requires us to toil dismally through life. There are so many people who truly believe that life is difficult, that unhappiness gives us a badge of some sort, and that being happy should be accompanied by a large dose of guilt.

I buy none of that. I am busy and fulfilled by what I do. I love life and am having a wonderful time! It is not for me to figure out what to do next, but to do my best to be ready and able to do what I am asked to do and to perform those things to which I have committed my time and resources.

Some things are more uncomfortable for me than others. I would rather eat a great meal than go to the dentist. But I understand the beauty of both. I would rather drive along the ocean to go somewhere, but I also know that there are times when I must go to the desert or places that don’t feel as nice to me.

Some days I clean my home, and I have learned to be grateful and happy doing that. Other days I get to do something that feels less like a chore.

What I do understand, is that I am the free-est spirit I know. It is awesome! There are many commitments and I get to juggle what I do and when I do it with a certain amount of judiciousness. I am responsible and capable and sometimes just say…the hell with it all…I’m taking a nap. This, too, is freedom!