Thinking about the root meaning of this day - beyond the boat trips at the lake, hot dogs on the grill, beer, fireworks and the day off - I think about the freedoms we have gained by separating ourselves from our origins. Who would we be as a Country had we not won this battle? Who would we be as a people? Imagine how our customs and traditions might differ, would we even know about Rock & Roll, Apple pie, or Baseball? Or would we be celebrating the Queens Diamond Jubilee by eating crumpets (with clotted cream of course) and drinking tea?
Due to our Independence, we were able chart our own course and create the vastly diverse, culturally rich, ethnically abundant democracy we enjoy today. Consider the varying regions of our country and the large differences in our traditions, foods, beliefs and dialects and I'm sure you'd agree, we could be many countries within our one. (And sometimes, especially during heated political years, many of us think we should be.) But we're not, and every once in a while on days like the Fourth of July, we unite in one central cause, that of celebrating our freedom!
Thinking about the freedom we enjoy on a larger scale leads me inward, to inquire about freedom within myself. About what in my life I need independence from in order to break free from constricting governance? What authority binds me? What is holding me back from becoming and creating the original life I envision in my imagination? What is disallowing the diversity within me to arise? It could be some deep conditioning that needs to be uninvited (like a guests who has overstayed their welcome), or a stubborn belief that needs reconsidering, or a way of doing things that is no longer productive or rewarding or even beneficial. In my pondering a light shines on all of these possibilities and I only have to choose where and when to break free......and I will!
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But not today, today is for eating hot dogs and apple pie!
I invite you to do the same. To eat hot dogs and apple pie, yes of course, but also to contemplate what it is you need independence from? What is holding you back from your vision of ultimate freedom? And what does "ultimate freedom" look like anyway? Let your imagination wander, open your mind to your own truth, set your plan of attack and then, go jump in the lake.
