Freedom Challenge 3: My entry

A series of challenges have been put forth by @sagescrub for participants to delve into the topic of freedom. This is my first entry into these contests. They are thought provoking exercises which are helpful because, although sometimes we might feel as if we know ourselves, there are always things we can learn through exploring thoughts we might/or might not spend much time on day to day. Thoughts which help define us, personally as well as to others, which make us not only unique, but connected to others. I appreciate these challenges, very much. Reading through everyone's entries has been meaningful. Learning and growing together is a big aspect of what makes us grow as individuals, in addition to building strong communities. The current contest may be found here, if you're interested in participating, too. It's a great soul searching concept, so I hope to see your submission, as well.

Being I missed the first two challenges, I will very briefly answer those two, in order to be able to answer this challenge question. They were:

What does freedom mean to you?

Freedom has meant a variety of things to me throughout my life. It has changed as I have changed. I used to think freedom was the ability to pursue passions unhindered. Now that I am older and have more life experiences that have shaped my view of the world, freedom to me is currently about peace and wisdom.

What is holding you back from feeling more free?

• There are 3 primary things which I feel are holding me back from peace and wisdom. The first is probably the most important. I struggle with having a consistent positive mindset. I view myself as a pessimistic optimist on many issues. That doesn't feel inherently limiting, in and of itself. However, where the problem arises is not finding a healthy balance between those paradigms. It's been a life long struggle, to be honest. The obstacles of finding balance have been many, as is probably the case the with many people. Freedom of the mind, to be and feel and say and behave in a manner which fosters healthy life choices, growth, and contentment have not come easy during periods of my life. That being said, the optimist in me always runs concurrently. Peace of mind, and wisdom, are the two main things that define freedom to me because with those two things, wholeness is achieved. With that, life obstacles no longer feel insurmountable. It's an admirable quality in people who are able to be content with themselves and their life experiences, regardless of the circumstances. I believe with peace and wisdom, those qualities are obtainable. I struggle with them but that doesn't mean I don't strive for them. Life is in a constant state of change over time, and with time, I hope to achieve these qualities in a healthy balanced way.

• The second thing which feels like it is holding me back is poor health from poor life choices, as well as things out of my control. This puts outside and inside stress on me. It limits my physical ability to function. That is as much as I would like to go into that topic, truthfully.

• The 3rd, which might seem shallow but many people can probably relate with, is money. Without money, access to necessary resources to survive can be extremely limited. Maybe not available at all. It is hard to live in a world where you are viewed as a failure, undeserving of compassion, not worthy of assistance, or as being a burden on society. Nobody wants to be that person. We all have struggles out of our control. We all have struggles because of mistakes we have made. We all deserve love and empathy. A helping hand when we fall, space to learn from life lessons, and love. We all deserve understanding. Sometimes tough love helps. Sometimes a person benefits more from being encouraged to "lift themselves up by the bootstraps" on their own. Sometimes a person needs to learn that difficult uncomfortable life lesson by going through it alone and making it out on the other side. Sometimes a person needs to shift their paradigm to achieve wholeness and accepting of themselves and others. However, at the end of the day, we are all human. We all struggle with something. Money is a controlling talisman given power over people. It is a magical illusion which dictates fortunes and misfortunes. Money distracts from what is truly important in life. Maybe not for everyone. Maybe people with money feel free. I wouldn't know. That's not an assumption I hold, truthfully. Life is life for everyone, irrespective of money. Money might or might not make it easier. It is still a means of control, IMO, over society. At least that is how it feels now. Maybe in a decade I will have changed my mind as I grow older and more life experienced. But, what I do know, is that it is easy to fall into the mental trap, the mind game, that money equals freedom. I don't think that is necessarily true, but it is something I struggle with because it seems everything in society appears to be dominated by it. The little things people take for granted, like that new pair of socks they get as a present, cost money. Medicines cost money. Utilities cost money. Money is a dictator of the mind. There are people starving to death, children dying of curable diseases, people homeless, all because of money and what the people who have it decide it is worth. It's unfortunate and unnecessary. However, to be clear, I do not think people who have money are bad or selfish or greedy or inhumane people. I am just speaking from a perspective of someone who has no money, the stress of what that life is like and how it feels like it stifles my freedom. Money, as it applies to the world around me, feels like an emotional and physical prison sometimes. But, this goes back to my answer for what freedom is: peace and wisdom. There is an inner peace I have yet to master which would render money a moot issue. There is a fundamental wisdom I have yet to learn about how to be at peace, despite perceived lack of freedom because of lack of money. Now that I have answered the first two challenge questions, it is with humbleness and truth, that I submit my entry for the 3rd contest:

Topic: How do you express your freedom?

To answer this, I will present 4 ways that I express freedom, my goal of which is to find peace and wisdom.

• Nowadays, I express my freedom through simple measures. The most important one to me is being in nature. Spending time sitting outside, as often as possible, watching the birds chase each other within the branches of the nearby apple tree, brings me entertainment. Watching a squirrel run-hop around the property, stopping in the middle of the gravel driveway to bury a black walnut, brings a chuckle from my mouth. Hearing the bullfrogs at dusk chattering or the Carolina Wren greet the sunrise with it's song brings me stillness. Watching the rabbits run up to my door and window to sniff around, after I've gone inside, brings me curiosity. These things are grounding in that they bring me peace, which brings with it freedom of mind.

One of the most peaceful things I enjoy these days is sitting outside at sunset and sunrise listening to the birds sing. Here are examples of the birds I hear regularly, as posted on Youtube by Lew Scharpf](

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• I get asked occasionally if I ever try to meditate. My answer to that is yes. Truth is, it's usually not very helpful for me. There is one mediation which sort of demonstrates the dichotomy I have of trying to find balance. I have to admit, cursing can be calming for me. I am not completely sure why. Maybe it's because of freedom of expression. I'm an adult now; I can cuss if I want to. LOL. Maybe it's because it's a way to get out frustration (even if temporarily). I definitely find cussing humorous. While meditating is not the best way I've found to ground myself, this one in particular I enjoy quite a bit. If you do not like cuss words, don't click the link. Haha.

This is a meditation a friend who "gets me" sent a while back. One of the few I have found "helpful"

• I find ways to positively reward myself when I am proud of accomplishing something, or techniques to try to snap myself out of negative mental loops when I notice them. For example, sometimes I can be pretty hard on myself when I take a long time to complete something. For this I have a specific mug I will drink from on those occasions to remind me throughout the day to be proud and celebrate whatever the accomplishment is, however big or small. I also have other mugs which just bring a little smile to my face. I find most of these at thrift stores. I have tea or coffee, and sometimes walk around the property picking pretty little flowers. Sometimes I take my little recorder to capture the sounds of nature or thoughts on my mind.

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I drink from this coffee cup specifically when I want to keep myself in the mindset that I accomplished something to be proud of

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This mug reminds me to not just be kind to others, but also myself

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Here are two mugs which are really unique. I love unique things

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Here are some Black Eyed Susan flowers I picked in the yard below a magnet smiley face

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• The fourth thing I do which makes me feel free is learn. Do It Yourself topics such as permaculture, tiny houses, feng shui, how to prune apple trees, worm composting, how to make a sweater coat, how to pressure can meat help me feel independent and self sufficient, as well as topics such as ancient history, science, neurology, endocrinology, and/or pretty much anything else that tickles my fancy. This brings me peace and wisdom because there is always something interesting to learn which opens my mind to wonderful new adventures. These things help keep me a well rounded, thoughtful person. They help me focus my attention on inspirational creative things. They help motivate me to work towards my goals. These things make me feel fulfilled with each new thing I learn. I'm not exactly sure how to explain it but I did my best.

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In summary, this is my explanation of what freedom means to me, what I feel is holding me back from being free, and how I express freedom. The last being the topic of this challenge by @sagescrub. Thank you for the thought provoking contests!

That's all for now. Until the next post... If you found this post relatable and enjoyable, please consider entering your own submission in this contest. As always, upvoting, commenting, resteeming, and following is always appreciated. Thank you kindly for reading.

Phedizzle signature created by @bembelmaniac

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http://homesteaders-online.com

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If you are new to Steemit, post good quality content, show love for the Steemit platform, and have initiative to help other members, you just might be scouted by #helpie. You never know! These are good qualities to have on Steemit, regardless. Skills that will take you far down the road to success and are at the core of the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty group (aka #PAL) philosophy.

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