Like many of you, I spent Wednesday celebrating the 4th of July. There was the usual holiday smatterings of sprinklers, kids laughing, fireworks, cook outs, relatives, and over all good cheer.
As I took in the excitement of the holiday and really thought about its meaning I couldn’t help but wonder about the word “freedom”.
Yes, we are a free country. We won our independence from England in 1776 and have gone on to form an amazing country full of heart.
But what does “freedom” mean to me on a personal level?
In between conversations with friends and family my mind kept wondering about this question. I thought about my health. I thought about the foods I eat. I thought about the ability to decide who I am going to be.
We really have so much independence when it comes to our bodies and our minds.
We can freely decide what to eat. We can freely decide to workout or not. We can freely decide to read more about topics we’re interested in, learn a new language to keep our mind sharp, grow our own veggies, start a hiking club, or even whether to volunteer.
I often hear people say things like “I can’t commit to a gym because I don’t have time.”
I’ll be the first to admit that I can come up with some pretty awesome excuses to not do something, but what I need to realize is just that… it’s an excuse.
I have the freedom to do almost anything I choose. That’s not a promise that it will come easy or that it will be simple. Freedom never is.
So what do you choose for yourself and what excuses are you willing to let go of in order to have freedom?
