Independence

When I was a kid I couldn't want to grow up and go out on my own. To be independent. To make my own decisions. To not have anyone boss me around!!

Of course, I know better now and I have the ability to laugh at my younger self and how ridiculous I was. The independence I was looking forward to as a child means something different to me now. Sure, I make my own decisions. Not many people really tell me what to do. But it's certainly not all I thought it was going to be. With that magical independence comes responsibility.

I may not have to make dinner every night if I don't want to, but I choose to because I love my family and I want them to be well cared for. I may not enjoy doing laundry; in fact I grumble about it quite a bit; but it has to get done and so I do it. I have very few complaints about my job, but even if I did, I choose to work here, so I do what needs to be done.

As a child, I didn't know much about responsibility and even less about it's relationship to independence. As I've grown I've learned that the two are intertwined. You cannot have true independence without accepting the responsibility that comes along with it.

Without turning this post into a complete tirade against "what is wrong with the world," I think that a lot of this is what is wrong with the world. People think that independence means "I can do what I want, when I want." but that is a very immature view of the concept. All actions have consequences. The things that I do have an affect on the people around me. As a moral decision maker I have to consider that aspect before I act.

What does independence mean to me? It means I have the right to do things in the way that I want to. It makes me happy to be able to make decisions that benefit others, but not necessarily myself. Independence is fun, but it also comes with responsibility that I feel obligated to honor.

You've been reading a Secret Subject Swap. This week 15 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts.

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:

Baking In A Tornado
Not That Sarah Michelle
The Bergham Chronicles
Dinosaur Superhero Mommy
My Brain on Kids
Spatulas on Parade
Never Ever Give Up Hope
Confessions of a part time working mom
The Diary of an Alzheimer’s Caregiver 
Molly Ritterbeck
Juicebox Confession
Southern Belle Charm
Climaxed
When I Grow Up


My subject is “What does independence mean to me?" It was submitted by http://berghamchronicles.blogspot.com