...about freedom

from Christmas Eve 2020
 
Today I visited my dad’s gravesite and, as I was leaving, I looked at the county jail which sits next to the cemetery, and reflected about the people inside, confined, and unable to be with family and friends on Christmas. I thought how disempowering it must feel to lose your physical freedom, and I contemplated what enabled some to remain optimistic and others to fall into depression. 

What began as reflections about physical freedom turned to the emotional and mental prisons most of us live in – the bars, constructed by our thoughts and habits.  Imprisoned by memories of past traumas, and by attachments to those beings and experiences we have lost.  Our freedom blocked by inside voices that endlessly nag and berate us for not being good enough; from destructive habits that entangle us in a seemingly unbreakable loop of desire, indulgence, and shame.  Our own personal prisons that we dwell in alone and too afraid to ask for help.  
 
But we are never truly alone, we can use the examples of others, who have overcome the same challenges, as a guide and, we can turn to our higher self who is there and ready to serve us. 

What bars are holding you and what can you do to free yourself?