Tomorrow there will be fireworks.
Flags. Backyard gatherings. Something on the grill.
And underneath all of it is one enormous idea.
Freedom.
I’ve been thinking about that word.
Not politically.
Personally.
Because there are plenty of ways to gradually give away some of your freedom without realizing you’ve done it.
I Had
At 55, I wasn’t particularly free in my own body.
I had type 2 diabetes.
I was carrying 98 extra pounds.
My feet hurt. My knee hurt. My back hurt. My shoulder hurt.
Several surgeries were being discussed.
And maybe the biggest problem was that I had started believing this was simply what happened next.
Getting older.
More pain.
Less movement.
More things I couldn’t do.
I wasn’t questioning it.
I was adapting to it.
Then Something Changed
Not all at once.
There was no dramatic Declaration of Independence moment.
I started changing what I ate.
I started moving.
Eventually I discovered resistance stretching.
My body responded.
The weight came off.
My diabetes went into remission.
I moved better.
The surgeries being discussed never happened.
And somewhere along the way, I realized something bigger had changed.
I had stopped assuming my future was already decided.
That’s a kind of freedom I hadn’t thought much about before.
Freedom Doesn’t Mean Doing Whatever You Want
That’s the funny thing.
Sometimes freedom comes from doing things you don’t particularly feel like doing.
Getting off the couch.
Going for the walk.
Making the food.
Going to bed.
Doing the stretching.
Showing up again tomorrow.
Nobody is forcing me to do those things.
I choose them because they help me keep doing the things I actually care about.
Teaching.
Walking with Peggy.
Getting on the floor and back up.
Traveling.
Playing.
Being useful.
Living my life without spending much time thinking about whether my body will let me.
That’s the freedom I’m interested in.
Yours Might Look Completely Different
Maybe freedom for you is getting down on the floor with your grandkids.
Maybe it’s traveling without worrying whether you can handle the walking.
Maybe it’s carrying your own groceries.
Getting back into the garden.
Riding a bike.
Sleeping better.
Feeling comfortable in your own body again.
Maybe it’s simply waking up and not having your first thought be about what hurts.
I don’t know what yours is.
That’s kind of the point.
So Tomorrow, Enjoy the Fireworks
Eat something good.
Spend time with people you love.
Celebrate.
But sometime between the parade and whatever somebody manages to burn on the grill, think about this:
What would a little more freedom look like in your life?
Not twenty years from now.
Now.
And is there something small you could start doing that might give you a little more of it?
That’s a declaration worth thinking about.
Tomorrow we’ll talk about making it.