Freedom

Today, July 4th, is the United States of America's Independence Day Holiday.  Much of the conversation today will be about freedom.  Freedom is a wonderful thing.  Freedom from tyranny, freedom from oppression, freedom to worship who or whatever you choose, or not worship at all,  freedom to love who you choose, freedom to choose how to make your living, the list goes on and on.

There are many sides to freedom however, and today, I'd like to talk about the decisions we make that limit our freedom, and why we should do so carefully.

In his iconic song, "Me and Bobby McGee", Kris Kristofferson wrote "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose, And nothin' ain't worth nothin' but it's free".

I've thought a lot about that lyric over the course of my life.  I'm glad my freedom is limited by the choices and commitments I've made.  The freedom I have traded is worth something.

What exactly am I talking about?

Well. I chose to be a mother.  That limited my freedom tremendously.  Never again would life be all about me.  Always, my child would be first.  That little bit of freedom traded for all that joy and wonder.  Motherhood has been the most exciting, rewarding, and fulfilling choice I have ever made.

I chose to get married, and have a committed and monogamous relationship with my husband.   No more me thinking.  Now us thinking.  Collaborating on decisions about where to live and what to eat and how to spend money and where to go on vacation.  What a great trade-off.  Less freedom, more joy and companionship.

I chose to work as a Safety Professional in a highly demanding industry.  So many limitations on freedom.  Long workdays, last-minute necessary travel, delayed and cancelled vacations.   What did that loss of freedom cost me?  I had the opportunity to make the workplace safer for upwards of 50,000 employees.  And I earned a great income, with great benefits, which in turn bought me a great life.

I chose to share my life with pets, specifically dogs.  No picking up at the last minute for a spur of the moment trip, the dogs need to be cared for.  No sleeping until I want to get up, sleeping until the dogs need to go out, or need water, or food, or love.  The exchange?  Unconditional love.  Boundless affection.  Joy beyond words.

Every choice we make, every time we exercise our freedom, that exercise comes with a responsibility.  The greatest gift that freedom gives is the opportunity to choose where we exchange a bit of our freedom for a responsibility.  If we choose wisely, we enrich our lives in a measure far beyond the small bit of freedom we exchange.

So, today, I'm celebrating the freedom exercised in exchange for the incredibly rich and love-filled life I enjoy.  I hope and pray that all reading this can do the same.