I see you and your freedom, and I'm envious because you are so free. You glide through the air, so sure of your brilliance. Nothing gets in your way. The sun is warmer for you. Freedom has always been yours. You see endless possibilities.
I wonder if your ancestors saw my ancestors. I wonder if one morning, the hawks that came before you flew over the humans that came before me. Did they wonder about your freedom? Were they envious of the endless possibilities you see from your perches?
As my mind wandered, you called out. Your sound pierced the silence, and I jumped, not because I was scared, but because I felt the power of your freedom.
Freedom is a powerful, jaw-dropping, show-stopping word. As a teacher, I had power and taught power. As a mom, I wield power, teach power, and I concede power. As a leader, I sit in power, I grapple with power, and I deal in power.
Power and freedom are old friends, aren’t they? They play a slow, methodically, eternal game of chess.
As caregivers, we have an opportunity to help our students and children see and feel freedom and power. We can help them use their power to create freedom. We can provide exercises, lessons, and life experiences that teach them about the awesome possibilities and powers that freedom can create.
I wonder what it looks like to live a life where the ideals of freedom are centered. What would it look like if our children experienced truly uninhibited freedom from birth? How might the possibilities and power shift or change?
These contemplations on freedom led me to think about how we, as caregivers for the next generation of caregivers, can evolve towards true freedom.
Thank you, dear, uninhibited and free hawk for inspiring me to journal about freedom, and crystallize my definition of freedom.
With respect and love for freedom,
Shawna
Contemplations for freedom can lead to new ways of thinking, feeling, and being. See here for our freedom journal prompts, do it for yourself, do it with your kids, and make time to discuss it.
Journal Prompts:
- What is freedom? What does it look, sound, and feel like?
- What freedoms do you experience?
- What freedoms feel far from your reach?
- What happens to you when you feel free?
- What happens to you when you don’t feel free?
- When do you feel most free? Why?
- How might you use your freedom to create freedoms for others?