h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

We've not had a collaborative entry in a while, so I'd like to support of this month's Create theme (see: A87873420) and ask 'how do you get a sense of freedom in day-to-day life?'

If we get enough contributions, this may make an entry that could potentially be submitted to or Peer Review.

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Taking my shoes off at the end of the day.

Getting in my car and driving. Knowing that I can stop any time, and anywhere I want. I'm not at the mercy of the airline, or the train engineer, or the bus driver. Timetables and schedules are not my problem. I will get there when I get there (probably rather later than intended).

Driving my car is my freedom to explore my world, and explore it at my own pace.

My 2010 Hyundai is six years old and I am its only owner. I have had this car for 75 months. It has 204,000 miles on it.

We've taken it on trips through at least a dozen different states, and have at least three road trips planned for the summer. But it doesn't always have to be a big trip, I've been known on a random afternoon to just drive around the metro to areas I haven't visited in awhile, just to see what's changed since the last time I was there.

Gosh, just writing this is making me itch to go for a drive. (Sadly I have other plans for the weekend )

My sense of freedom received a massive boost when I turned 60 and got hold of my bus pass - now I can travel anywhere in Scotland for free without having to worry about finding a parking space or coping with psychotic/drunk/drugged drivers making the roads around here something of a white-knuckle ride.

Well, I've just chucked in my job without anything to go to, and it's not even the first time I've ever done that. It feels marvellous, tremendously liberating, although not quite a day-to-day event.

Mostly I try to relax when I get too tense, or when my mind is flooded with too many scenarios .

I looked at a Word document I compiled a while back, in which different methods of meditation were offered. The one I settled on was to sit comfortably in a chair, my arms relaxed at my side, and look down at my abdomen as I breathed -- focusing on a button or my navel, or whatever. To empty my mind of the thoughts that race through it, I slowly say "loo." This is to prevent any other words from getting a toehold. Some people say "om," but I don't say anything. I just think "loo" and try to keep concentrating on that button or whatever. It does help, though the relief is not always very long-lived.

Okay, I contradicted myself in the previous post. Sometimes I think loo, and sometimes I say it.

It's supposed to be so simple that I can do it without agonizing as to whether I'm doing it right.

I'm very punctual, and the thought of being late anywhere is very stressful. So my real sense of freedom comes when I have nowhere to be and nothing that needs doing.

The only time I experience this properly is during that period between Christmas and new year - to be exact, when I close the door behind me on returning home from the family party on boxing day. I know there are no plans on my horizon until new year's eve (not even then if I can persuade family members that actually, I'm very happy when it's just me and the dog). Beyond walking the dog twice a day, there is nothing that needs doing, I eat when I'm hungry, sleep when I'm tired, it's pure bliss.

That, and taking off my bra at the end of the day

Deb

"I'll eat when I'm hungry, and drink when I'm dry,
An' if moonshine don't kill me, I'll live 'til I die"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5j_4XaLfko

I like to lock myself in the loo. It's the only place where no one is going to interrupt me.

I might come up with something more poetic later.

I could recommend a book that I read recently, called "The Art of Impossiblilty" by Bill Wahl. About a chap who led a totally controlled life and then his passport, driving licence and all his other ID got stolen. It took him a while, but he eventually shed all his control and even gave away most of his possessions, as he realised that he was managing quite well without any of it.

He did have plenty of money at his disposal, however, which rather helped.

I won't give away whether he got his ID back, but in the end, it really didn't matter to him either way.

There are so many different types of freedom. There's the end of the day sort of freedom feeling you get at 5pm, or when you walk home and get to take off your shoes and socks, suit and tie and wear your comfy t-shirt and shorts and put your feet up on the sofa and relax (although the relaxing bit doesn't take place until the kids have gone to bed, and even then that's the time for rushing round and catching up with the housework and tidying up what they've done during the day...)

But when you finally get the time to lie down and read a good or watch a DVD of your choice (even if doing so while ironing).

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I'm with broelan (post #3) - just hop aboard my steed, Brandi the Grape*, and drive without specific aim or purpose.

(Brandi is a plumberry purple Chevy Trax, a compact utility vehicle and a real pleasure to drive)

All too often, I drive with purpose of finding a gas station before my car runs out of gas.

Then you obviously don't drive a Prius or a Tesla.

You do have more freedom in that regards if you live on the mainland than on the Isle of Wight. If I decided today I'd like to drive to the nearest city this weekend, I wouldn't be able to; it's the Isle of Wight Festival this weekend and all ferries are almost certainly fully booked.

Normally in any case, I'd have to book the ferry in advance and know what time I'll be travelling to and travelling back from the mainland. I'd then keep a close eye on the time at all times, allow plenty of time for travelling so that traffic won't affect me, and try to arrive back an hour before the ferry departs. It cuts down on spontaneity somewhat… Not so bad in the winter, of course.

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On May 20th, a bank holiday in Canada in honour of the birth of a Queen some time gone --- I drove 4 hours, 370 km, and still was nowhere near leaving my own province.

Missouri is about 4 hours side to side, but I've never driven top to bottom. It's about 3.5 hours from where I am to the bottom, but I've only been to the top once and I don't remember the time.

A friend and I drove Seattle to St Louis in 3+ days once. That was a great trip.

Best thing I've done for freedom was to ditch my car completely and just bike commute.

No more traffic jams evvah!

Plus I can switch it out to the countryside either early or late to get a destress if I wish.

Cars - meh. Life is too short for more car-angry-jams

Best road trip I did was upstate NY (Mechanicville) to Key West - and back.