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Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Defining Liberty

This post was inspired by the most recent episode of The Survival Podcast, titled Creating Your Vision of Liberty.

I sometimes wonder if some people think we're crazy or wonder why we do some of things we do.  After all we both have good, professional jobs, have relatively cheap rent, and we're the stereotypical "dual income, no kids" family (though the dogs and cat should count for something).  Yet, with this disposable income that we most surely have, why do I drive a purple '98 Corolla that seems to have more problems than things that work?  Why do we not realize we're in 2011 and get rid of this old tube television, and why are we cancelling our cable?  Why are we spending time making bread, butter, starting to can, wanting a KitchenAid mixer instead of a PS3, etc.  

First off, if you haven't listened to that episode yet, I'd encourage you to do it now.  If you don't have an hour to listen to the whole podcast episode, please please PLEASE listen to at least the first 25-30 minutes.  At least get through the 2 stories that are read.  Then, if you're wondering why we do the things we do, you'll probably understand.  If you don't understand, here are the answers. The car is paid for, the TV sucks money and time that can be used in more productive manners, we choose to spend more time making our food because it's healthier, more accountable, and many time cheaper than you can buy in the store, and the KitchenAid helps us do this efficiently. 

The sacrifices we're making now, as hard as they sometimes are, are defining our liberty.  They are mere steps in our journey.  The stories on the podcast are great, and very inspiring!  I'll even admit, while listening to the stories at work today, my eyes got a little misty.  You see, I love my wife.  I love my wife more than anything in this world!  I don't want to be away from her.  Some people may think I'm strange for feeling like this and may just chalk it up to being a newlywed, but I would disagree.  If you're the type that doesn't feel this way about your spouse than I would really challenge you to look hard at the last paragraph of this post.  The choices we're making everyday are leading us to a life that is much more financial stable and will be able to withstand almost any hardship.

Lynette and I have spent a lot of time, even before we were married, thinking and talking about life and what we want.  It's an always evolving subject and list of things, as our circumstances or knowledge change.  The biggest thing is that we talk.  This specific podcast episode has really brought some clarity to my head.  I'm usually the "dreamer" type that always has lots of thoughts running through my head, but rarely are there concrete plans behind them.  Without a plan, a thought is just a thought.  The most important stuff is always talked about at some point.  Sometimes it's easy to agree on something and other times there are compromises.  I don't consider these bad at all.  We're in this together and while the little twists and turns are important, as long as we get to the goal, that's what really matters.

We want land.  What for, how much, why, what land attributes, etc. are all questions that need to go along with that one statement, "we want land."  Imagine what goes along with statements like, "we want freedom from debt, we want real financial security, we want control," etc.  There are so many questions, and everyone has different questions and different answers.  The question, "where do you want to live?"  For us, it's in the country, but you may be a city person.  That's awesome!  It's the same question, but a different answer.  The real issue is not what your questions and answers are, it's 1. are you willing to ask yourself (and if you're married, your spouse) the questions and find the answers and 2. are you willing to do something towards it.

We are, and I hope you are too.  I hope you listen to the podcast and read this and take it to heart, talk to your spouse (or yourself if it's just you), and define your personal liberty.  Define what it is you want most out of life, find the things you can do to get there, and go do it!