Ah, summer! It’s time to meet your dream of the open road. AAA expects 39 million people to hit the road this July 4th holiday, opening a season of travel on U. S. highways. Despite the price of gasoline and other financial obstacles, that’s a lot of people with the freedom to choose their own adventures.
Freedom is a national pastime in the U. S.
We all have expectations about how great life will be once we have the freedom to follow our dreams, once we break out of our old tired patterns. Ooooh, life is gonna be soooo perfect once I have achieved that next big thing:
- A magnificent new home
- An adorable new baby
- A more rewarding job
- A more fulfilling relationship
- An exciting new adventure
With the freedom to move toward your dream, you may need to manage an enormous number of details. Firmly focused on preparation, you might believe that when every item is crossed off your list, you’re done. However, Louis L’Amour spoke truth when he said, “There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. Yet that will be the beginning.”
You’ve ‘packed your bags’, ready for your next escapade. You’ve arrived at the next stop. Start living your dream. And uh-oh, that’s when reality hits. People get sick. Things break. You lose things—and people. Otherwise stated as “shit happens.” Life gets in the way. We’ve all been there, no matter what your expectations led you to believe.
Looking for your future freedom? Try instead to achieve the feeling of that freedom today. Right now. Taste the freedom of accepting and appreciating that what you have right at this moment is enough. Enjoy the simple act of breathing in the beauty around you. When it feels like freedom, you’ve gotta know you belong there.
“You must learn one thing.
The world was made to be free in.
Give up all the other worlds
Except the one to which you belong.”
~David Whyte
Photo credit: semuthutan, Flickr.