Independent

On a day like today, it just seemed like an appropriate topic. It seems we spend so much time trying to be "a part of"--a part of a group, a part of a workplace, a part of whatever activity is going on--that the idea of independence sometimes eludes us. So today, on Independence Day, I focus a little on what's pretty good about not always being "a part of," of being a little independent.
 
1. When you're independent, you can decide when you're getting up, when you're getting out, when you're coming home. Well, maybe not always, but you're far less bound by the "when's" that other people have set up.
 
2. When you're independent, you can decide what's important, what's miss-able, and what requires your attention. Well, maybe not always, but you're far less controlled by other people's "what's."
 
3. When you're independent, you go where you like, you work where you like, you rest where you like. Well, not always, but you find yourself, at least some of the time, in places that make you happy.
 
4. When you're independent, you think about why you're doing what you are, why you're not doing the things you're not, why you're always having to think. So much "why" isn't easy, but sometimes it beats just doing without "why."
 
5. When you're independent, there is often a question of how you'll get by, how you'll handle the next challenge, how you'll move from one thing to the next. But sometimes, "how" keeps you creative. "How" keeps you open-minded. "How" keeps you thinking.
 
So, on this Independence Day, I celebrate the challenges of independence, and the rewards that go along. It may not always be the easiest road, but sometimes, it gives you celebrations along the way, and fireworks if you hang in long enough.