This background is an aerial view of New Orleans I snapped as I was leaving back to South Africa in April 2017. It was quite befitting to add words of freedom over it as this was exactly what I felt. I had a dream about New Orleans sometime in 2016, I hardly remember my dreams but this one in particular stood out so strongly. I dreamt that I was in a Jazz Club but I couldn't quite see if I was playing the piano or if I was just at the club as a guest. The dream had come to life for a full upbeat Jazz song, people were dressed to the nines, dancing and tapping, smoking cigars over drinks and the ambience was that of a 60's surround.
So in 2017 after winning a trip to the South by South West in Austin, I made a firm decision to venture out to New Orleans. It was everything I dreamt of and more and that very feeling of freedom seeped into my veins and entrenched my soul more and more. Yes Freedom is a feeling and it can be created. However I didn't have to visit another country to feel free, I was carrying this with me all along, it just grew thicker and bolder as I so allowed.
When I was much younger, I knew that when things seemed tight and stressed, I should have chosen Freedom, when people put me in a box and categorised me, I should have chosen Freedom and when I locked my mind up and blamed it on the sadness of life, I should have always chosen Freedom. After all it has always been there for the taking. Well so we learn, we grow and we teach!
We are all born free, we are born with choice and we should decide who we are and what we want to feel. It is your right! I was once trapped in a relationship that threatened my freedom, it questioned who I was and the best things I loved about myself and that people loved about me. The privilege to talk when you want, dress how you feel, say what you want and to rather fill your head with pleasant moments instead of fights and doubt, is something so precious in life and its actually free. Needless to say, it didn't take a long time for me to figure out that something in the relationship was wrong, no matter how much love, feelings and fun experiences there was, it lacked a passionate space of freeness. We take so many little and free things, things that are part of our rights, for granted until we don't have it anymore. We also cant hang on to the loss around the past, we must pick up up our beautiful free spirits from where we left off, its very possible.
Often I find that people trap themselves in relationships that they could have full control of, they place themselves in situations to make them feel like prisoners or victims of their situation. But freedom is in your mind, not only in your external situation. Internal bliss can be found whether you're going through external crowding or not.
How do you find freedom you may ask. Well you make a choice to feel it regardless of circumstance, it comes with a positive attitude and let me tell you, that can be hard to have especially when you've been going through a lot of war in your world. The more you cover your situation with pain, suffering, doubt and self pity, your thick cloud gets harder to clear. You've got to train your mind and be consistent, start up with a few mantras whenever you feel trapped or out of what you actually want to feel. You can feel anything you want to feel if you let yourself into it. Stop for a moment, think about how you feel and think about how you would want to feel. Start telling yourself that you are free and that you will be free and that regardless of your job situation or type of job, the previous rules placed upon you or anything holding you back; you will be free and in your mind, you are! Question who has taken your freedom away or rather who have you allowed to take your freedom.
My freedom cannot be yours, I choose a different type of freedom that makes me happy for who I am and what I do and especially how I see the world. Visa versa your freedom cannot be mine. External freedom is not like internal mindful freedom and I think it never should be. Inside your head is a space that nobody can see, no one can touch or pretend to understand, thats where you make your magic and its all up there and up to you. So you can choose to hide your freedom, you can choose to act your freedom, you can choose to speak your freedom, whatever the case, just choose and make it work for you. You deserve it.
With that, I wish you so much of peace, freedom, light and positivity. Its not an easy journey but it sure is worth it.
This pic is part of the #words4change movement. Give someone freedom if you can!