The Concise Oxford Dictionary (the only one I actually own because I won it as part of a literary award when I was in grade 8) definition of freedom is as follows:
- Personal liberty, non-slavery; civil liberty, independence; liberty of action, right to do; power of self-determination, independence of fate or necessity.
- Frankness, outspokenness, undue familiarity; facility or ease in action; boldness of conception.
I live in Canada, so I have never had to contemplate what freedom might actually mean to me. On a small scale, it means sleeping in on holidays and Saturday mornings, it means sinking into a good book at my leisure and not keeping a clean and tidy house at all times.
On a mediocre scale it means I get to choose which language I educate my children in (we chose both French & English), what activities they indulge in (hockey, fencing, swimming, diving, biking, fishing) and whether or not I should stay in my current job (actually, I don’t have a job – I’m a full-time mom & writer).
On a larger scale it means I walk down the street in relative safety. I say what I want to who I want and the only real consequence is how my moral consciousness deals with whatever tumbles out. I have choices galore. I get to vote for members of parliament, the mayor, the local school commissioner, and express my opinions about all things political through which ever venue I choose (Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, local journals, national newspapers, or even a television station) without worrying about any type of negative back-lash.
In all, we have it pretty good here and I wouldn’t trade my home for anything. Our winters are harsh and our summers are scorching, but our social environment is a rare gem so it all makes it worthwhile in the end.
This post is in conjunction with the Blog-A-Licious Blog Tour a fantastic blog hop that brings together bloggers of all genres, backgrounds and locations. In today's hop, the blog featured before Remember Newvember is Holes in my Soles. The blog featured after mine is Life Through Lucylastica’s Lense. Please stop by and say hello plus some are having giveaways and contests. Enjoy!
Other blogs in this tour include:
3. Dora - http://peacefrompieces.blogspot.com/
4. Karen - http://britsunited.blogspot.com/
11. Ryder - http://ryderislington.wordpress.com/
12. Janki - http://janukulkarni.blogspot.com/
13. Tosh - http://totsymae.com/
14. Dennis - http://www.bryanrdennis.com/
15. Karen - http://karenvwasylowski.blogspot.com/
Everyone is proud and patriotic about the country they live in - simple and nice blog.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Maine, not far from the Canadian border and not all the different a way of life; so beautiful, but so harshly cold over winters that are just too darned long!
ReplyDeleteI lived in Upstate New York for the better of 15 years and loved visiting. I understand your love for your home. Excellent write. Simple and real.
ReplyDeleteHi - so nice to be on the blog tour with you and I am a new follower. I have so many wonderful memories of Canada, the place that gave the world John Candy. Doesn't get better than that.
ReplyDeletehttp://karenvwasylowski.blogspot.com
Hi. I’m stopping by for the Blogalicious freedom hop. Yes, freedom is like food. You don't think about it much until you don't have it, and then it's all you can think about.
ReplyDeletewww.bryanrdennis.com
Nice to meet you Jenny. Freedom can mean so much on a personal scale, often never thought about until you breathe that sigh of relief when it happens.
ReplyDeleteIt is lovely to be able to enjoy the simple things in life, like sleeping in or having the ability to choose whether your children learn English or French or both.
ReplyDeleteI lived in Canada for 10 years - a beautiful experience with sweet memories.
I'm very thankful for all my freedoms. Especially freedoms like writing whatever novels I want and reading whatever books I choose. Great post! :)
ReplyDelete