THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

As a child, I couldn't wait until I was given the freedom to make my own decisions about what time I went to bed. In high school, I couldn't wait until I was given the freedom to drive without having to have another licensed driver in the car. Next, I longed to reach the age of 21 for the freedom of being able to get into the clubs while using my REAL ID ( lol ) . My next independent moment came when I left for college and moved into my own place. I have also enjoyed the freedom of dating whomever I wanted, regardless of the opinions of others. I've also had the freedom to work in several different job markets according to what I wanted to do at that time and manage my own religious and spiritual practices.

Taking time to examine the truth of who we really are can open our eyes to so many things. I continue to have 'aha!' moment after 'aha!' moment. I have been reunited with Little Anita; I have relived and reclaimed my energy from many of my past memories and I have come to know Anita in ways that I never had the opportunity to before. What has this done for me?

It has given me a new sense of independence … or freedom, if you will. I look to the next 40 years of my life being very optimistic, very sure of what I do not want in my life, and excited about all of the new possibilities that lie ahead of me. I recognize how I have been the one to place shackles on my own feet, how I have willingly lost touch with the essence of who I really am and how I have allowed fear to dictate my actions as well as how I have placed so many unrealistic expectations on others and then felt let down when they couldn't measure up. I see these things so clearly now.

I have been liberated by life's lessons … I have been given my freedom … I am newly independent, emotionally and spiritually: 'Look Ma! I'm all grown up now!' I recognize that I have 'shown up' at this stage in my life specifically to 'grow up.' I look at each challenge now as a different phase in my life and I recognize that the universe has to have either MAD JOKES or MAD RESPECT for me to have taken me through all of the challenges that it has. But at the end of each 'class' I get the lesson. After plenty of introspection and analysis, I understand why and I'm grateful each time.

I now have a new lease on life that includes never allowing myself to lose sight of my newly acquired independence ( my emotional and spiritual freedom ) ; never forgetting about what's really important to me; never expecting others to sacrifice their happiness for the sake of my own; and never expecting people to change in order to be something that I would like for them to be and never doing any of those things for anyone else. I am now mentally free to live life in whatever manner I choose, by whatever rules I set, with the freedom to speak my truth and, from my truth, know that I am. I am what, you ask?!?!? I JUST AM, period! No one can ever take away the essence of who you become as a result of your life's experiences. And at the moment I realized that I AM … it all made sense. You've earned the right to be exactly who you want to be in this lifetime…exercise it. Grab your Purrfectly Authentic life by the collar and say 'Hold on … you've escaped me far too long … I believe it's time.'

Claim YOUR independence and begin living from your truth … I sure have.

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