What is a free spirit?

I came across this list the other day which tells us how to be a free spirit. 

 One word in particular leapt out at me because it has been in frequent use in recent self help books and articles covering subjects and topics about life and living.  The word in question is authenticity which according to the Free Dictionary means -

au·then·tic·i·ty  (ô′thĕn-tĭs′ĭ-tē) n.

The quality or condition of being authentic, trustworthy, or genuine.

So I then thought about the words trustworthy and genuine and what do they mean.  According to the same dictionary trustworthy means -

trustworthy (ˈtrʌstˌwɜːðɪ) adj 

1. worthy of being trusted; honest, reliable, or dependable 

ˈtrustˌworthily adv ˈtrustˌworthiness n

And genuine means -

gen·u·ine  (jĕn′yo̅o̅-ĭn) adj.

1. Actually possessing the alleged or apparent attribute or character: genuine leather.

2. Not spurious or counterfeit; authentic. See Synonyms at authentic.

3.

a. Honestly felt or experienced: genuine devotion.

b. Actual; real: a genuine dilemma.

4. Free from hypocrisy or dishonesty; sincere.

5. Being of pure or original stock: a genuine Hawaiian.

So in other words to "embrace authenticity" I should be honest and reliable, sincere and real.  How many of us are really living what we could call a real life?  A real life as opposed to what we have to do to get by.  There are many contraints placed on people today, constraints that don't necessary sit well with us be that morally, environmentally, emotionally or spiritually.  It seems we live in a world where we have to compromise something within our belief systems, our ideal world in order to put food on the table, a roof over our heads and to educate our children.

So in a world of constraints, how do we maintain at least some level of our ideals and embrace authenticity. It's in the little things, the little steps or changes that can be made on a day to day basis to improve our home environment for example.  That could be as simple as choosing an alternative environmentally friendly cleaning product or even making your own (which is super economical) to making a meal from scratch instead of a take away or frozen dinner from the supermarket.  Perhaps it is giving time to a neighbour who is lonely or teaching our kids to be kind to animals and living creatures.  Perhaps it's just stepping outside for 5 - 10 minutes to appreciate what we have.

Sometimes it's easy to focus on the things that we can't change rather than on the things we can change.   Although the words from the song "From Little Things Big Things Grow", a protest song recorded by Australian artists Paul Kelly & The Messengers has been done to death and used in television advertisments in the last few years, those words ring true.  By changing one small thing in your life to live authentically, to live a free spirited life, a small and positive step has been made in the direction you wish to travel.  Is it not better to take one small step than no steps at all.

Happy stepping,

Anne

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