whimsical happenstance

at liberty.

there is something to be said for finally gaining control of one's own life--breaking free of the ties that bind a person solidly and opressively to an unwanted fate. the feeling of freedom is such a beautiful and terrifying thing to those who experience it at long last. it is liberating but also, ironically, petrifying. for not only does a person have to break physically free but also emotionally free. the old habit of submissiveness must be broken; the comfort of familiar complacency forgotten. life cannot truly begin unless you have not only been freed, but also have freed yourself.

i was walking along the bike path to davis square and crossed the street with a woman who began talking to me. it was one of those interesting conversations with a total stranger that most people brush aside or veer away from, completely xenophobic. she explained to me that life does not begin until you are twenty-five--after you get to know yourself and are comfortable in this world. while it was a wise observation, i think that life for some begins once they gain their freedom, their independence. maybe it's earlier, maybe it's later; maybe it's an uncertain and wobbly start.

but it is always the realization of a very old hope. it's the reason why the caged bird sings.

posted by Megan at 5:26 PM