By Mr. Free Spirit

OK do not get carried away; it is not that kind of party!!

This woman Ms. Free Spirit puts my lifestyle to shame, she REALLY is a Free Spirit and wants to give me lessons on being a Free Spirit.

First, she is the epitome of the word independent.  What is independent?

Independent

Being independent is something that a lot of us take for granted, as well as something that many find difficult. It’s hard to live your life without taking other people’s opinions and emotions into account. While it’s important to be compassionate, part of being a free spirit is making your own decisions and living your life how you choose.

Free-spirited individuals are often cited as living outside the norms of society and having unconventional lifestyles.

Doing things on your own terms and for your own benefit is something to strive for, not be ashamed of.

Now why did I write this, I talked to someone, her name is Cheryl and she is Ms. Free Spirit on steroids. Cheryl is a retired Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, (DVM), and she lives the life she loves and loves the life she lives.

We have extensive discussions and our discussions are about her being Ms. Free Spirit and spending a month in Australia, then on to New Zealand, her 14-day cruise’s and crossing the Atlantic via cruise ship.  Would I like/love to do some of the things Cheryl has done?  Yes, fear never entered my mind, I just never thought of many of these things.

Let us start with cruising alone, I love cruises and never worry about being lonely, you meet many people on cruses and it becomes your decision how you interact with them. You can decide to have dinner with them, or you can keep it casual and leave it at hello. Cheryl and I both love having a cabin with a balcony to enjoy the fresh air and sit out at night with the quiet of the ocean. Oh, by the way Cheryl is African/American, which may surprise many of you.

Cheryl and I have visited many of the same countries, the difference is, I was working and confined to a hotel and a conference room and Cheryl was touring and got to enjoy the area. Cheryl fits each category of the definition for Free Spirit; however, my assessment is Cheryl is the ultimate free spirit, Cheryl has a happy self-fulfilled way which can be infectious, she is enthusiastic and extremely comfortable with the person she is. Cheryl is single and does not want to be bogged down with things that will adversely affect her lifestyle.

We Both Travel When We Want To:

Travel is one of those things that pretty much everyone I know would list under the ‘hobbies and interests. And yet, how many us of travel?

I Have My Own Hobbies and Interests?

I have a passion for cooking. Especially different and delicious food!

Being a free spirit means I have my own passions and my own world to enjoy. Doing things because they make me happy, however weird or wacky they may seem to others, is so important. Either I let people join my quest for happiness as mentioned above, or accept the judgment and do it anyway. This ties in with being independent – do what I enjoy doing and do not let anybody make me feel uncomfortable about it. Provided it’s legal, of course.

Cheryl!

She can cook; however, it depends on her mood of the day and if she has the cookbook that has the recipe she needs; however, she can bake, and I cannot.

I know what I stand for.  As free spirit’s we both strong values and opinions about life.  It is not someone who wanders for the sake of wandering — a true free spirit lives with intention.

Cheryl appreciates her free-spiritedness and she chooses to live in a way that is aligned with her values.

If you know what you stand for and will not let anyone tell you otherwise.

Mr. Free Spirit and Ms. Free Spirit do not easily become attached:

Another one of the most prominent features of a free spirit is their unwillingness to be chained down by any one thing in life.

Sure, you might have a passion that you devote yourself to. However, you find yourself constantly changing things within your life such as your physical appearance, hobbies, quirky obsessions, and might find yourself moving frequently.  Ms. Free Spirit just moved to Florida.

As free spirit’s, we like all people, but we are wary of being tied down in a relationship and approach such situations with caution, never allowing our wings to be clipped just for the sake of romantic attachment.

 We do not follow the crowds.

Free spirits are an uninhibited people. So with that being said, those of us who have free spirit tendencies don’t follow the crowd. Instead, we observe what is around us and make our own decisions based on what we have seen and felt; not what others have told us that we need to believe or feel.

These people tend to reject anything which is popular by the rest of society.

We are not afraid of pursuing our own passions/dreams (even if it is far-fetched).

We as Free spirits have the courage and the passion to follow our dreams no matter how impossible or ‘crazy’ it may seem to those looking in on their lives. Of course, as free spirits, we may not know what your dreams and passions really are. However, we are willing to explore until we are sure.

However, this is okay as you can spend the time needed on truly finding out what they are. It doesn’t matter whether other people understand what you may be going for or how long it takes either the only important thing is that you’re not afraid to pursue it. This is what it truly means to be free and those with this mindset are the best at pursuing it.

 We know how to live in the moment

It’s easier said than done to fully live in the moment 100% of the time. Of course, people spend a lot of time in their own head thinking about different unimportant things.

However, we as free spirits know and understand the importance of the little things in life. We realize that living in the moment is important, even if the only thing I do is notice how beautiful the weather is outside.

Free-spirited people know that once you stop worrying about trivial things, your reactions to daily life becomes much more authentic.

I must say I admire Cheryl and sometimes we spend hours on the phone discussing not only the problems of the world, we also discuss places to visit and length of time it takes to really understand the culture of other countries.

Meeting someone with a like-mind can be interesting, however it can also be scary.