The True Definition of Personal Freedom

I'm Free!!

Personal freedom is something I think we are all seeking in some form or another.  Unfortunately the term freedom brings up a grandiose image in most of our minds that is often so large that it is unachievable.  What is the first thing that pops into your mind when you think of the word Freedom?  For me is that timeless scream popularized by Mel Gibson in Braveheart.  The unfortunate thing is the scene romanticizes the idea of freedom and makes it larger than life. It turns it into such an epic feeling that it seems almost unattainable for most of us to ever feel such happiness and freedom.

Now I am not saying that grandiose levels of freedom are not possible.  We have plenty of examples throughout history to prove this, think Underground Railway, WWII, etc.  But I think when our mind associates its essential feelings with such large examples it is easy to get frustrated.  I am not saying that it is foolhardy to try and achieve these large levels of freedom but we have to adjust our focus. 

This journey has brought a whole new meaning to the term freedom for me. It made me realize that true personal freedom comes in steps not in one epic moment. When I look back at the past year, the number of moments where I experienced true freedom are almost endless.  Now the obvious examples would be the first time I was unhooked from the IV machine, or being dischargee from the hospital.  These are what most people would guess as the happiest moments of freedom for me.  But some of the most memorable moments of feeling true freedom were:

- going for my first walk after leaving the hospital
- my first meal out at a restaurant
- taking photos at sunrise
-going for a walk in the snow on my second last night in transplant.  
-There are so many more examples that if I were to list them you would be reading for days ;)

As I reflect on the past year it was amazing to me that it wasn't the large moments of freedom (hospital discharge) that brought me the most happiness but the summation of all the little things that most people overlook when thinking about what brings them freedom.  It is the thought of experiencing these little freedoms again and discovering new ones that brings me a true feeling of personal freedom and happiness. 

If you can learn anything from my journey so far it is to look for the little freedoms in your life. It is not an emotion orfeeling that can only be found by taking on the English Army to free a country but a combination of releasing the tiny shackles in your life that are holding you back. Take a look for the small things that are stopping you from feeling truly happy or free and start slowly breaking them. The beautiful thing is as you break each one it will inspire you to keep going. As you continue to discover more personal freedoms it will slowly snowball and you too will get your Freedom! moment too.

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