Living the Words We Speak

my reflection on freedom, truth and the power of saying it out loud

It’s the July 4th weekend.

Maybe you’ve been parading. Firework watching. Beaching. Partying. Eating all the classic summer things.
I’m doing some of that too.

But I’m also thinking about freedom—a different kind of freedom.

This holiday commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
It was a bold idea in 1776—and a risky one—marking a break from British rule. Many of the signers risked everything: their property, reputations, and even their lives. Some were hunted, lost their fortunes, or had their homes burned. “Freedom” wasn’t just a philosophy—it was a line in the sand.

In that document, they wrote what may be one of the most powerful sentences in American history:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

That one sentence has been echoed, challenged, reimagined, and reclaimed through every generation since.

It was declaring a powerful truth—one that still resonates. But it was not fully upheld. Not then, and not by the very authors of that document.
Slavery continued. Inequality remained written into law and was part of daily life. And that contradiction lives in our history.
But the words themselves carry a vision that still matters.

For me, that’s not just dogma or patriotic language—it’s a way of being in the world.
A guiding truth to return to again and again.
It isn’t always easy to live into words like that—that’s part of our human challenge.
But the real power of those words isn’t just in saying them.
It’s in endeavoring —daily—to live them.

To me, the most revolutionary part of that sentence is what it implies: that freedom is not given by a government or granted by a ruler—it is something innate. And it is already within us.

Freedom begins within.

And sometimes, declaring a truth is the first act of becoming it.
Not hoping. Not asking permission. Declaring.

When we speak our desires—our longings, our vision for who we’re becoming—we create a channel for energy to move through us.
Declaration is creative. It shapes reality. It tells life, “I am ready.”

Not “please let it be so,” but “this is what I choose.”
This is what I stand for.
This is what I am available for.
This is who I am becoming.

We may not be able to rewrite history, but we can write our own declarations.
We can live in a way that honors our inner freedom and comes from our heart.
We can choose thoughts that liberate us, not limit us.
We can make decisions not out of fear or approval-seeking, but from a deep knowing of who we are and what we value.

History may shape us, but it doesn’t have to define us.
We are not required to repeat what came before. We are free to live from vision, from integrity, from possibility. And that, too, is a declaration of independence.

Because here’s the thing:
We are the thinker of our thoughts.
And the chooser of our next move.

When we forget that, we start reacting to the world around us instead of living from the truth within us.
We let conditions, circumstances, other people’s reactions or expectations start running the kitchen.
But real freedom? Real power? It comes from knowing who we are, what matters to us, and what feels truly life-giving—before the world tells us how to feel.

That’s the kind of independence I’ve been thinking about.
And that’s the spirit I’m bringing into this weekend.

So as you celebrate—whether with fireworks, a backyard table full of your favorite foods, or a quiet moment alone—I hope you’ll take a breath and remember:

You are the thinker of your thoughts.
You are the one who chooses what to believe.
And even when the world is noisy, you can return to what feels true for you.

Declare that.
Live from that.
That’s real freedom.

Happy Independence Day, my friends. ❤️

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