What does freedom mean to you?
It boils down to three things: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And no, I didn’t just lift that from the Declaration of Independence—okay, maybe I did. But hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t rewrite it. Granted, if it was me… I would have add pizza, too! Just saying… 🤷
Anyway, let’s break it down…
Life
We all have the right to life—meaning nobody should be deciding your expiration date except the good Lord above—or maybe gravity, if you’re clumsy.
Life is sacred. It’s also messy. It includes stubbed toes, burnt toast, and that one drawer in the kitchen you’re afraid to open. But the fact that you get to wake up each day, breathe fresh air, and try again—that’s freedom. And a blessing!
Liberty
Now, liberty doesn’t mean we all get to do whatever we want, whenever we want. If that were true, I’d have opened a grilled cheese food truck that only runs from 2–4 a.m. and only accepts Monopoly money.
Liberty means we can choose our paths—our beliefs, our jobs, our coffee orders. You can worship as you please, vote how you want, or wear Crocs with socks and nobody can legally stop you.
It’s the freedom to be—to say, “Hey, this is me,” and not have to apologize for it—unless you’re chewing with your mouth open, in which case, please reconsider.
The Pursuit of Happiness
Notice it’s the pursuit of happiness—not a guaranteed, UPS-delivered box of happiness with a bow on top. Nope! You’ve gotta chase it. Hunt it down. Sometimes with a flashlight and a bag of Cheetos.
Happiness looks different for everyone. For me, it’s a quiet morning, strong coffee, and maybe a pizza later—okay, definitely pizza! For someone else, it might be kayaking down a river or finally catching up on laundry from 2009. The point is, freedom means you get to define it for yourself.
And yeah, sometimes we mess it up. We take freedom for granted. We complain about slow Wi-Fi while sitting in a climate-controlled room drinking $10 coffee. But that’s the beauty of it—we’re free to be a little ridiculous sometimes. We have free will!
Final Crock’s Thoughts
Freedom is the oxygen of the soul, the engine of human dignity, and yes, the reason I can write this blog in my underwear at 0600 in the morning—sorry, too much information…
So here’s to life, liberty, and chasing happiness—whether that’s starting a business, baking banana bread, or just sitting quietly, knowing that this weird, beautiful, chaotic life is yours to live.
Crock’s Thoughts 