Personal freedom | Day 79 of my 2023 Journal

When we woke up after the overwhelming last day in Venice + Murano + Bologne, the exit, and the goodbye to friends PLUS the wrong google-pin that took us to the wrong place to sleep, I felt I had a choice.

The night had been comfortable in my own bed, garnished with the sound of take-off and landing of planes in Bologne airport, the surroundings were not exactly beautiful, and even after sleep, I was exhausted.

I could easily have fallen into negative thought patterns.

Instead, I chose deliberately to create a good day.

My focus was on my warm bed and my sleepy children.

The fact, I am so grateful for my van. And more importantly, I am so grateful for all the personal freedom we have carved out for each other and ourselves. There is nowhere I have to be.

I am not busy.

I don’t have to wake the kids and guide them out of the house at a specific time.

I can just go somewhere beautiful. I get to do what I want. And so can my loved ones.

When we left for our life on the road almost five years ago, we thought the big thing would be the tiny house and the adventure of traveling. But the big thing was the togetherness. The fact, my husband did not have to leave every morning. We could finally be all together all the time.

So, this particular morning I got up and found a tree in blossom.

I saw the sea of long-term parked campervans. I realized all the fridge-looking campers are a cry out for the freedom I get to have every day.

And I feel rich like a queen. The abundant universe is holding all we need, and if I lean into a feeling of gratefulness and of “enough,” I am always rich like a queen. So, we drove off—a town nearby with an organic shop and a self-service laundry. The clouds cleared, we made lunch, we found the park, enjoyed the grass, and we watched a movie.

It was all good. It was all so very good.

Personal freedom is about waking up with loads of options, but more importantly, about having the courage to choose between options and knowing what to do with the freedom.

Love and light

Cecilie Conrad

# 79 of my 2023 writing challenge - Read them all here