*The following is part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge 2011*
Today's post is brought to you by the letter U...Unbridled
un·bri·dled
–adjective 1. not controlled or restrained: unbridled enthusiasm.
-verb 2. to free from restraint.
My state moto is "Kentucky: Unbridled Spirit". I believe it was an attempt to get us to live life to the fullest (and pay lots of state taxes with an open heart) and of course to encourage tourism. An unbridled spirit is one who isn't controlled or restrained from an outside force. I don't think any of us are truly unbridled. There's always something to restrain us from that which comes from within. We have to make a living. Most of us have to do something outside of our normal spirited drive in order to put food on the table and clothes on our backs. (Let's not forget those pesky student loans to pay back). We have families to raise. Friends to stay acquainted with. Life to live. But when does living life bridle our spirits? Now this is just my opinion but I really think that we can balance our lives so that we meet all those social obligations and still have an unbridled spirit. OK, so technically if you are meeting obligations that are demanded by others then it isn't truly unbridled but still. Balance is the key. We have to balance those things that are demanded on us with the desires of our hearts and spirits. If we don't, we'll lose the very thing that gives our spirit life. I struggle with this myself. I am responsible for a family, a home, and a job. People depended on me for their survival both literal and figuratively. I have to do certain things in order for my world to go 'round. This doesn't mean though that I have to bridle that part of me that wants to create and explore. I just have to balance it. I spend my day at work giving my energy to my job so that where I work stays connected and runs smoothly. I spend my mornings, evenings and weekends giving my energy to my family and my home. There are other times when my energy goes to my friends, my pets, even strangers. So when is the time for my unbridled spirit to rip loose and be wild? All the times in between. While waiting for the laundry to kick off I scribble a few lines onto a page. While waiting for a kid to get out of practice I read a few lines from a book. While waiting for a meeting to get started I jot down an idea that dances through my head. While listening to the ramblings of a friend about someone buying the same exact pair of shoes as she did I reorganize a plot idea. While living life I don't forget to actually live life. I can write because I can live. I don't live vicariously through the characters I write...they live vicariously through me. I have a life and I live it. The only way though is that I embrace both the bridled spirit that is necessary to function day to day AND the unbridled spirit that is needed to create. It doesn't matter if it's a spirit that wants create an imaginary world or a spirit that wants to build a birdhouse. What matters is that you learn balance. You can give life to both the bridled spirit AND the unbridled spirit. They actually compliment one another quite well.
1 comments:
This is a very interesting thought it makes me think about the unbridled spirit and how it works in my life.
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