Fearless Fun Friday: Freedom

This is my dream board for July 2010.  I hang my board on the biggest wall of the boat, next to my “Ethereal Joy” wall painting, across from my wind chime with the colored glass orbs…When you walk down my stairs, you see (and hear) the wind chime, then my painting, then my wall.  You see another wall with photos from places/activities the children and I have experienced; next to that is another wall with affirmations and inspiring quotes.  And next to all of that is my ‘shelf’ with my flowers of the week, my candles, my treasures..On the other two walls are pieces of art that my children have created…In less than forty feet of living space, I have filled my walls with representations of love, peace, joy…

I describe this to you because my boat didn’t used to look like this.  I made the choice to strip her down bare, to sit in that empty space, as I made the same choice in my own personal life.  As I learned to surround myself and the children with only love, peace, joy…Good Energy…I was guided to do the same on my boat. Currently, this is all physical representations of my essence…the true me…If you are in my boat it is because I have allowed you into my sanctuary, my refuge, my heart….

My dream board is significant because there was a time in my life I did not allow myself to dream…a time that I dimmed my Light so low that it almost flickered out completely…a time that if you know me now you would have recognized me physically–you would have seen my smile–but you wouldn’t have Known me at all, I wouldn’t have let you…

My dream board is significant because I’ve grown past that time..and I’m ready to release that and so much more as I move to my fortieth year and a new decade….If you asked me three years ago, what did I think life would be like when I turned forty???  I would have wondered what made you think I would be on Earth to turn forty?  And if I was here, what would I possibly have to ‘celebrate’..my children always..the Moon always..but beyond that?  Oh man, I was so busy just trying to exist I couldn’t think past the next moment let alone to a few years ahead…And I was literally trying to exist..as I was stuck in an abusive relationship, stuck in Life, plain stuck..I made the choice to become ‘unstuck’..It is possible for any of us at any moment, exactly where we are, to choose to walk even one tiny step away from stuck and continue that walk until soon you look back and you are so ‘unstuck’ it’s unbelievable…(Oh how fun…you can see why I am not a ‘technical writer!).

From my heart, then, I want to share the following with you. 

Freedom is a tricky concept.  We all want certain freedoms–yearn for them– yet when we receive them, we sometimes aren’t sure what to do with them. Sometimes we accept them fully, sometimes we deflect them, sometimes we bury them.  Sometimes we camouflage them.  Yet at some point in life, there is a time we believe we want freedom…and we go about striving to get that freedom.  For example, you want the freedom to love fully, yet when you are given love…you may celebrate it–or you may: try to return it for another, “better fitting” love…curse it because it’s not what you thought it was…deflect it because it’s better suited for someone else…bury it because you  refuse to allow yourself the opportunity to be hurt…anything but actually Love…

So, today as I look forward to celebrating the Fourth of July weekend with my children and a few friends…as I look forward to celebrating Freedom within my country…I would like to share some freedoms you and I have as well.  It is what we do with those freedoms that determines the fullness of our hearts…

You and I have the freedom to:

• Believe in Something we cannot see.  That Something..I call it God, I call it the Universe, I call it Love, I call it the Moon, I call it Energy…guides me, meets me, allows me to be who I am, where I am, each and every day.  When I open my heart fully to that Something…anything is possible.  Truly.  In your life, can you truly feel that anything is possible???  Because it is.  Absolutely.  With the resources you have right now in this moment, with you as you are in this moment..you may allow Anything to be possible…
• Live life allowing our hearts to lead.  For me, this means that yes, I put my belief in Something first.  Then I Love my children and feel it is a privilege to love them so….And all else: people, nature, beauty in all forms, thoughts, words, ideas, textures, colors, tastes, sounds….Do you feel Love in your life….
• Dream.  I lay in my hammock and look at the sky and dream.  Lay on the sandy beach or rocky jetty looking out at the ocean and dream.  Lay on the grassy hill by my hiking trail and dream.  Close my eyes (or keep them open) anywhere I am at and dream…And, I love listening to your dreams because they are usually far bigger than mine and inspire me to reach even farther than I currently am…Do you give yourself moments to dream? Or most magnificent, do you share your dreams with loved ones, share and build upon each others dreams??? 
• Allow our hearts to open so wide, our space to be so clean, that miracles, dreams, moments of pure bliss…may be placed into our lives.  Anything I dream may be made real.  For me, and for you….For I want you to soar with me….And this is why I started my Everyday Miracles page, miracles are perfectly placed multiple times in a day; I just have to allow for the Awareness and the Space….
• Love and accept “you” exactly as you are, exactly where you are…My Being sees your Being…I enjoy sharing with you..and I shall receive your love and acceptance of me right where I am at..However, I know this to be true: before we may love and accept the other fully, we must love and accept our own self exactly as we are in this moment, fully….Have you given yourself the freedom to love and accept yourself exactly as you are?
• Express our creativity, our passion, our joy…in a variety of ways, best suited to each individual, yet appreciated by many….I choose to sing, dance, paint, write, cook, laugh, smile, drum, play in nature, interact with people, sail, hike, kayak….Do you allow yourself the freedom to express your creativity fully?
• Make ‘mistakes’..Look in all honesty I do not like that label, yet how do I describe what we all so often refer to as mistakes…Whatever it is, you and I have the freedom to explore it fully….we are perfectly made, yet we often do not accept that perfection.  If I am perfectly made, what I share is perfect for the moment I am in…perfectly placed, perfectly done…I may insert my will and make a perfectly not right turn (*grin* then put a spin on it), but it is still perfect for the moment I am in.  Paint because you like colors on canvas and want to capture the essence of something…cook because you like fresh ingredients and the aroma circulating around your home…Try because only in trying will we actually ‘do’…Do you feel you may try anything at all, or do you allow Fear to stop you from even trying???
• Succeed.  There. I said it.  You may succeed, I may succeed…whatever success is for you or for me, we may do it…we may shine our Lights as brightly as possible, we may accomplish that ‘goal’, we may allow for daily miracles, we may allow for unfolding and an easy flow to life, we may love fully and be loved in return..whatever it is…we may succeed. What do you do with success?  Do you stop right when you are oh so close or do you embrace success fully allowing for an ease to it all?
• Celebrate…Celebrate anything we want… Life, love, the realization of  a dream, the placement of a miracle…our essence, our Love, the Sun…whatever makes our hearts happy…let’s allow our selves to celebrate!!!  Is celebration a daily part of your life?

How does this relate to fun?  In freedom, there is abundant fun.   The last few weeks, my shoulder has been hurting so badly I can barely use it…symbolizes the lack of fun…Right, I love many many moments, but have I had true unbridled fun? Have I belly laughed?  Have I done something to make my heart truly happy? Something for me?  In  general, we place much value on our roles in life: mine–servant of God, Light worker, Mother, friend…that we forget to just “be”…  When my mind allows me to forget, my body reminds me…So I shall work on having Fun in each and every day…*Tough job*  🙂

In my own life, I tend to make unconventional, nontraditional choices.  Not purposely, but as I follow my heart my path tends to veer away from those that are established/well worn.  This weekend, as the country prepares to celebrate the Fourth of July–a weekend typically full of barbeques, gatherings, watermelon, fireworks–my children and I choose to celebrate a bit differently.  It probably would not surprise you to know that we would love to be a circus family.. we each know what parts we would play…so when the circus comes to town, or any town close by, we go….Well, this Fourth of July will find my little family at the circus..eating popcorn and cotton candy, smiles on our faces, as we watch performers delight us in myriad ways and imagine we were directly part of it…then we will be home in time to view the fireworks over the boat…

We will celebrate our ‘freedom’…freedom to be all of the above and more…freedom to just be…

Much peace,

Joy