Freedom means different things to different people. My definition would have to be something along the lines of ‘having the time, money and energy to do what I want to do without interference’. The Oxford Dictionary definition is somewhat similar; ‘the state of being able to act without hindrance or restraint; liberty of action’.
I guess the last 3 years of pandemic measures have made us all reflect on what freedom means to us . Lockdown measures to those who live in a country residence with a capacious garden and a job that they can do from a laptop may have felt mildly restrictive or even enjoyable due to less traffic on their roads. Compare that to someone who is a sole parent on the 20th floor of a block of flats, with 3 children to care for, school and entertain. The value of the prescribed 30 minutes of outdoor exercise time would be completely different.
With cancelled holidays and travel restrictions now lifting, many are clambering for the freedom and relaxation of a sunny holiday on a distant beach. Whilst a hot beach is appealing, what I realised was how much I love to move and being told I couldn’t was hard. We are in the process of doing up an old camper van and have started dipping our toe in an activity synonymous with the word freedom ‘van life’!
So far so good. The engine on our 30 year old Toyota has been faultless and our tweaks to the retro decor have been fun to make. We even find the bed really comfortable. I love to run so it has been fabulous to be able to holiday in an unplanned spontaneous way and stop wherever we please to walk, run or cycle. So this year, we will be exploring our part of the world in our camper.
One further reflection on the topic of Freedom has been my gratitude for health and mobility. Although van life has an easy pace to it, there is quite a bit of clambering, manoeuvring and yes stooping! Despite over 50 years of doing sport on almost a daily basis, I am blessed with healthy pain free joints. In part this is down to healthy diet and appropriate body weight. I have also supplemented my diet with a single supplement called Forever Freedom. It is an Aloe Vera based drink with added glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM. I view this like a health insurance; investing in it now while I am still well, rather than waiting for things to go wrong and having to try and put them right.
Here is a link for 15% discount if you would like to support your joints. CLICK HERE You can trial this product for a full 2 months with the reasurance of a 60 day money back guarantee.
Lindsey and I wish you an exciting summer and remember …. stay free!