All too often, in life, we imprison ourselves with our own expectations, or the expectations of people around us.
In our minds, we believe we are servants, a never-ending task list at hand, slaves to some master that we can’t really define. Do this, do that, be this, be that; the weight of responsibility can feel like a yoke that is difficult to carry.
It helps to take a moment to realize you are – actually – free.
As modern humans, most of us are not slaves to life’s basic needs. Food, shelter, warmth, and relative health are things that many of us take for granted. We live in a beautiful, delicious, comfortable world, a world fit for kings of long ago. Most of us define our own hours of wakefulness and sleep, our food choices, our wardrobes. Our choices are our own.
Sometimes, you have to get outside of your normal routine in order to experience this realization. Stepping into nature, we can escape the shackles of our to-do lists and see that there’s a whole world out there, one that we can fall into step with. As the chirping birds and gentle breeze work their magic, you may find yourself realizing that some of the things you thought you had to do weren’t actually all that important. At all.
In the empty nothingness of the desert, rock mountains rule; they stand in place for what feels like an eternity. People and animals come and go, all encountering the very same peaks and valleys. The desert is silent and stark, filled with an endless, open sky. Our problems tend to shrink in this immutable, oversized landscape.
We are free. Free to choose our battles and our challenges. Free to choose how we think about the various difficulties we encounter in our lives. Free to make the extra effort or not to. Free to spend the time to clear out the noise of our minds and quiet our hearts.
So, give yourself the gift of freedom. Take a break to stop and soak up the pace of nature. Rememeber that your mind is the only real taskmaster there is to contend with. And you are master of your own mind.
