Unlock the Gates
Freedom isn’t a location that you can easily find
It can only be accessed from within your own mind
Freedom is a decision that is intentionally made
When you open your soul and you’re not afraid
I find that for so many of us, freedom is a chameleon hiding in plain sight and changing colors just when we think we have found it. It is a subjective experience, what makes one person feel free may make another person feel trapped. Freedom may describe a physical state of being, but I believe that it has deeper roots in a mental state. Through mindfulness, meditation or simply taking a moment to focus on our inner thoughts, the human mind has the power to transform a situation by changing our perception and reaction.
My dear friend recently lost her battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This debilitating disease takes away a person’s freedom piece by piece, leaving his or her beautiful mind untouched. First it takes away voluntary muscle control so that a person may no longer move on their own. Then it steals their voice so that they may no longer express their needs to their loved ones or simply say, “I love you.” These devastating losses of physical freedom leave a person trapped within their own body.
This is where the amazing human mind steps in and fights for its freedom. If you only focus on the physical state of being free, you will remain stagnant. My friend used her mind to unlock the gates and to emancipate herself from the chains of her body. Even though her body failed her, she made a choice to be free in her mind.
We all have an experience from our past that shackles us, holds us down, tears away at our confidence and threatens to lock us in. But we have the power to move beyond our negative thoughts and experiences and to make the decision that these forces won’t permanently define who we are and who we will be become. We cannot control what is thrown at us in this life but we can change our perception and when we don’t allow outside toxins to be in charge of our destiny, this is a freedom.
By: Tania Suares
Tania relocated to Israel from California in 2015 with her husband, two kids and their big family dog. New locations bring new adventures. She has an exciting job working for an up-and-coming startup that is focused on providing assistive communication for those who are unable to speak. She loves traveling and is always dreaming of her next stop on the globe, keep up with her travels on instagram.
