Post Saudi Arabia Reflections on Freedom One year ago, Hayley and I spontaneously decided to go to the E. Village and get matching tattoos, the Japanese kanji symbol for freedom. Freedom is one of our top values. We didnt realize until after that it was the eve of the Fourth of July. I never used to be patriotic. In fact, I was embarrassed by our government and foreign policy when I first traveled abroad when I was twenty. So much so that I peppered my speech with eh’s and pretended to be from Toronto. No one ever had anything bad to say about Canadians. Now having been to 50+ countries I take the opposite position. I welcome the opportunity to shift peoples perceptions of Americans and of my country every chance I get. Until I traveled I never realized how good we have it in the US. Sure there are plenty of issues here but when you stare abject poverty, corruption, political unrest, complete lack of awareness of the environment, and modern day slavery in the face, you see that the quality of life and the opportunities afforded most Americans are often taken for granted. You cant appreciate the light without having seen the dark. As Joni Mitchell said, You dont know what you’ve got til it’s gone. Ive spent the past six months in the Middle East in countries where I could not dress as I want, say what I want, publicly voice my opinion of the government or religion, travel without permission from a man or even drive. Im not gonna lie. While my work there was both intrinsically and extrinsically rewarding, it was a difficult time for me, living out of alignment of my values. Symptoms included *not feeling like myself, irritability, moodiness, anxiety, emotional eating, loneliness, FOMO, lethargy, low vibration and loss of enthusiasm* For me this was short term sacrifice for long term gain. My work there allowed for a different kind of freedom, the freedom to invest in things I couldn’t have otherwise including the opportunity to apprentice with my dream mentor Rich Litvin, to fly all over the world for events I want to attend and places I want to explore, the ability to take all of next year off to focus on coaching and building my bigger vision while living wherever I want. I am pregnant with possibilities! Nothing beats the feeling of coming home. Flying in to JFK after a long time away and laying eyes on the NYC skyline always sends a jolt of energy through my veins. Last night I took a walk. I left my friends in the W. Village and decided to hoof it back to the east side since I havent been able to walk outside in months. The simple act of going for a midnight stroll, the breeze in my strapless dress, taking in the cacophony that is summer in the city, was glorious. I now have a greater appreciation for what it means to be free and I am proud to be American. Happy 4th my friends. What does freedom mean to you?
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 15:40:19 +0000
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