"Free to Choose None of the Above" - Day 350: 5 Minute Freewrite: Friday - Prompt: freedom

in #freewrite5 years ago (edited)

Here is my 5 minute #freewrite on Friday’s “Freedom” prompt: Day 350: 5 Minute Freewrite: Friday - Prompt: freedom

sourcce

Freedom.

I look at all the things I could do this weekend and love knowing I have the freedom to choose how to spend my time, where to go, and who I’ll be with.


The tapping of the keg for an Oktoberfest, only 45 minutes away.

I live for Oktoberfest! It’s my only Holy Day of Obligation!

And yet I’ve never attended the keg tapping, nor the Stein-hoisting contests, nor the Hammerschlagen. I try not to miss the Saturday morning parade with the Clydesdales even though they’re never real Clydesdales, just Percherons, but hey, any massive work horse is worth my time on the road to go see. Not to mention the polka bands playing on the sidewalks, and the heavenly aromas of brats on the grill, and the glorious golden ales flowing from the local brewers.

Sadly, I am allergic to nitrites and nitrates in the brats, the gluten in the buns and the beer, and the sugar in the kettle corn (which smells glorious). But I enjoy it all vicariously. Yes, come Saturday morning, I shall go to the annual Oktoberfest!

Friday night, a literary festival, with authors, in the college town nearby.

Husband would rather unclog hair from our daughter’s shower drain.

Ah, same town, same Friday night, dancing at Old Brick. Only 50 minutes away be car. Three hours of ballroom dancing! Only $4 each, from 7 to 10 p.m.. Husband says no thanks.

Closer to home the Celtic band at 9 p.m., only ten minutes by car.

“It’s a cold, wet night to be out,” husband says.

But the hotel parking lot is so easy - only a minute to the door!

He’s ensconced now on the sofa, remote in hand, flipping through the same, tired titles Netflix has to offer.

By 9 p.m., I’m tired and sinus-y and my chronic headache is worse than usual so I go to bed early for once. Tomorrow there’s the parade, and there’s also a Meswkawki dance only TWO MILES from home at a nature center! I must go!

Saturday morning arrives, cold and wet. After the last rainy Oktoberfest, husband and I had agreed “never again.” Fine. No parade this morning.

I have the freedom to go by myself to the Meswawki event. And I think I will do that.

But I also have the freedom to stay home, stay out of trouble, save fossil fuels, save others from the hazard I pose whenever I get into a car alone and drive somewhere.

I’m free to go places and do things, free to make choices and live my life as I please.

And yet I’m free to choose None of the Above. And all too often, that is my choice.

It's been said that anorexia comes from a desire for control. Usually a girl, the anorexic starves herself, sometimes to death, because choosing not to eat, choosing how thin she can be, is her only sense of control.

I look at all the choices offered me - places to go, things to do - and there are usually too many to pick from. Ultimately, all too often, I end up choosing none of the above. Just... stay home. I am free! Free to choose to do... the same old, same old. I am in control!

Here I am, home on a rainy Saturday morning, three minutes past the 5-minute timer, writing a #freewrite about freedom, wondering if "frozen" is closer to how I feel right now.

Sort:  

Been there, done that, far too often.

Not to mention the numbers of online webinars I've signed up for over the years, only to completely blow them off when the time comes, thinking I'll catch the replay . . . then blowing that off too.

As for our area, there aren't usually as many things to do, but even those I decide I'd love to do, more often than not I ultimately choose against.

And even though I occasionally castigate myself for not trying new things, or not going out and socializing, a high percentage of the time what I am actually doing is recharging my batteries, which is every bit as important, and often more so.

I'm still not 100% switched over to a day shift schedule, my body and (mostly) my inner two-year-old are still rebelling, because if I go to bed at a reasonable hour I might MISS something!

So I am still perpetually sleep deprived, not eating as much or as healthily as I should be, and you're absolutely right that it really comes down to a misplaced sense of control.

But if I had a better grasp on true self-control, I'd be taking better care of myself, getting adequate sleep and nutrition, and thus better able to handle everything life throws my way.

Nice free-write, my friend. ;-)

That said, Percherons are actually my favorite breed of horse, and some day up the road I'd love to have a couple that are trained for both pulling and saddle.

My cousin Tom, who was 6'4" tall, had a massive Percheron when I was a kid that was one of the sweetest horses I 've ever met, and smart. Every spring, he would watch each hoof as he placed it on the ground, so as to avoid stepping on any of the baby chicks that were running around. ;-)

Love Clydesdales too, but for myself, I'll take a Percheron any day.

Posted using Partiko Android

Budweiser advertisements, and the iconic ceramic beer stein collectibles, cemented the name "Clydesdale" in my mind - the king of beers, the king of horses - and now I feel like a dork for free-writing "just a Percheron" - that was just an unconscious reaction to Dad laughing at me for not knowing one breed from the other. Dad never cared much for horses, thanks to a pair of stubborn draft horses he grew up with before his first tractor. And he never allowed his five daughters to have something so expensive and high-maintenance as a horse (useless to him once he got that tractor). Half a century later I still want horses. And goats. But livestock is time consuming and ... yeah.
**The Clydesdale is one of the most beloved breeds of horse, thanks in part to its gentle nature
.... originated from Clydesdale, Scotland. Known for its large size, high-stepping action and calm temperament, ...The breed combines strength and style, with very distinctive movement. Instead of the shuffling action customary to many draft breeds, the Clydesdale lifts each foot cleanly from the ground, so that the bottom of each hoof is visible from behind.

I've loved horses all my life, and spent a fair amount of time with people who had horses, but there are still only a handful of breeds that I know by sight, and I don't always get it right. ;-)

I even spent one New Year's Eve with a close friend, and although we were supposed to go to the First Night celebration, instead we spent most of the night walking her colicky horse, who was upset because of the fireworks.

We took turns walking her, and spending time visiting the other horses in the stable, as they were all a tad freaked out, so we spent some time speaking calmly and soothingly, so they would know it was okay, and that nothing was wrong.

But although Gail regularly apologized for our interrupted plans, I had a great time just being with the horses, and told her so. An unusual ringing in of the New Year, to be certain, but a lovely one all the same, especially since we left knowing that her horse was out of the woods, and that the danger had passed.

But can I tell you the breeds of her horse, or any of the others? Nope. I know she was caring for an older horse, that was her horse's pasture pal, and that horse was part Morgan, but that's as far as I remember.

Dog breeds I know pretty well. Horse breeds . . . far less so. ;-)

Cori, good to hear from you, and as always, your reply is leagues above most posts! Your cousin Tom sounds awsome (built like a workhorse himself). I'm not sure I know a Percheron from a Belgian, come to think of it, but Frisian is the breed that steals my heart - the Maine Coon of the horse world. Those furry fetlocks, those rippling manes, the size, the grace! Lipizzaners are awesome but I'm drawn more to size and power, it seems. (Off not to google Perch vs Belgian...) I don't know my breeds, don't know horses, just know that my dad, the one time he EVER came down to the annual Oktoberfest parade, laughed at my "Clydesdales" and said they were Perchersons, but hey, he could have been wrong.
-_- His life's mission is to contradict me and undermine me and pop my balloon, so ... yeah. Thanks for reading and commenting, and may your batteries recharge like Energizers!

Belgian--heavy draft horse descended from the Flemish “great horse,” the medieval battle horse native to the Low Countries. ... In 1866 the first Belgian was taken to the United States, where the breed was well accepted but was never as popular as the Percheron.
***Percherons are well muscled, and known for their intelligence and willingness to work... originally bred for use as war horses. ***(wikipedia)
I love all the breeds!

I love them as well. I went out a couple of times with a gentleman in Florida who had a couple of Belgians draught horses, and they were gorgeous, smart, well trained, and loved to be petted. Too bad I didn't think as highly of him as I did of his horses. ;-)

Our cousins Jimmy and Terry played polo, as did Tom, and their horses were smaller, some trail horses, and some polo ponies. For riding, I preferred the trail horses, as they were much more laid back, and not so highly strung.

No idea on the breeds of most of them, though I know that my favorite, named Surefoot because he was so habitually careful on mountain trails, was part Morgan, which is another favorite breed of mine. Like Tom's Percheron, on steep trails, he would watch each foot as he placed it down, and test his footing before moving forward. And he LOVED kids - somewhere there is a photo of me riding him solo, at around age two. He was an awesome horse.

But Tom spoiled me for draught horses. They've always been my favorites, partly because I just prefer huge horses, and partly because, like Newfoundlands, they just have the personalities I prefer. Smart, amenable and laid back, and not without their own brand of humor. ;-)

I love the Clydesdales as well, being of Scottish descent, and the Shire horses are an ancient breed as well. And I agree completely that the Frisians are amazing and gorgeous animals. Warmbloods are big around here, lots available, and there are a lot of crosses with Morgans and/or Tennessee walkers that are supposed to be great trail horses. And Haflingers and Percherons, and crosses, come available every so often.

I'm hoping in a few years to luck into a pair of draught horses trained to pull as a team, but also trained for saddle riding. I've seen them in the past, from farms that were downsizing, or farming out older working teams, which would be perfect for us, as Marek has never ridden, and it has been years since I have. If I find a couple of "kid safe" horses we should be good to go.

And I'm with you - I've loved horses since childhood, not the most practical pet living in suburban Los Angeles, and the bug has never left me. I still would love to have horses. Even a couple of minis as pasture pets. ;-)

And a full blooded Jersey milk cow, and milk goats, and emus, and capybaras, and . . .
;-)

saddling a draft horse....? How do you get the stirrups lowered enough to step up and swing yourself that high up into a saddle?

Big horse, big dogs, big cats - Maine Coon, lion, anything big - also on my favorites list!

Shardik, a novel by Richard Adams, about a giant bear - heartrending, horrible, but beautiful, with the most gruesome punishment of a human who tormented the giant bear...

You sound like me in so many ways. ooh, and you mention Haflingers! I'd forgotten that breed.

The story of Patton's WWII rescue of the Lipizzaners is extraordinary. Elizabeth Letts wrote about it... Disney made a 1960s movie about it, The Miracle of the White Stallion (?). And that reminds me of Snowflake, the $7 plow horse auctioned off for the glue factory, but he turned into the world's greatest jumper, beating out the purebreds....

Being a kid when I did most of my riding, I usuallymounted from a fence, and am in no way too proud to do so now.

If we do actually get horses, I'll probably build a mounting bench, but then I'd likely have to have something more portable for mounting away from home . . . I'm envisioning something along the lines of a narrow version of a diving ladder, that could attach to the saddle, and be rolled when not in use.

And yeah, I'm a sucker for stories like that of Snowflake and the Lippizaners, and always will be. ;-)

Posted using Partiko Android

All those Hollywood stunt people leap onto horses from a a rooftop and land in the saddle, or run up alongside the horse and jump right up... meh. I like your idea. :)

Although, the horse-mounting scene in The Three/Four Musketeers, where (I believe) D'Artagnan jumps onto the back of a horse from a balcony, is still pretty hilarious, but then most of the film is. ;-)

Been there, done that, far too often.

Not to mention the numbers of online webinars I've signed up for over the years, only to completely blow them off when the time comes, thinking I'll catch the replay . . . then blowing that off too.

As for our area, there aren't usually as many things to do, but even those I decide I'd love to do, more often than not I ultimately choose against.

And even though I occasionally castigate myself for not trying new things, or not going out and socializing, a high percentage of the time what I am actually doing is recharging my batteries, which is every bit as important, and often more so.

I'm still not 100% switched over to a day shift schedule, my body and (mostly) my inner two-year-old are still rebelling, because if I go to bed at a reasonable hour I might MISS something!

So I am still perpetually sleep deprived, not eating as much or as healthily as I should be, and you're absolutely right that it really comes down to a misplaced sense of control.

But if I had a better grasp on true self-control, I'd be taking better care of myself, getting adequate sleep and nutrition, and thus better able to handle everything life throws my way.

Nice free-write, my friend. ;-)

Posted using Partiko Android

I can relate to that - I feel fine choosing to stay home... but most of the time I force myself to go out and do something!

Good for you! I tend to freeze up choose to do nothing. Retreat. It's a tendency I don't like in myself and I do daily battle with it.

Ah, freedom of choice, something that everyone wants and not everyone gets.

Posted using Partiko Android

Freedom is a responsibility. So many of us choose unwisely, or get frozen and don't choose at all, because the freedom to choose comes with consequences. And what ever goes according to plan?

You're right, it is a responsibility, whether we use it or not, right or wrong, it's on us. Thanks for the interesting freewrite! It's something to think about.

Posted using Partiko Android

Coin Marketplace

STEEM 0.35
TRX 0.12
JST 0.040
BTC 70753.86
ETH 3589.34
USDT 1.00
SBD 4.75