Declare Your Independence

July 4 is Independence Day in the US. In 1776, the Colonies had enough of being under British sovereignty and here we are, the USA with an interest in British Royal happenings.


What are you declaring independence from? Taking advantage of the series of eclipses we've had, it's a great time to start or end behaviors and habits, relationships.

So I say it's time to declare independence from toxic friendships. Declare independence from from abusive, draining, unhealthy relationships. Declare independence from codependence. Declare independence from negative, crippling ruminations. Declare independence from fear. Declare your freedom from gluttony and emotional eating. Declare independence from apathy. Declare financial independence. You have the freedom to live your own life--free from seeking approval or permission from others. Freedom from unnecessary and dangerous decisions.

To Kill Or Not To Kill

You have 25 seconds to decide whether to shoot the person you love in the head or heart or to die. What do you do?

I watched the episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent (Abel & Willing) with my heart in my throat thinking about what I would do. It even had me questioning my previous stance of killing someone in self-defense. I started my self-exploration while watching the episode at the “easier” end of the spectrum. I figured, well, if it were a complete stranger sitting across from me, or someone “evil” it would be easier to pull the trigger. A loved one? A family member? The thought still makes my stomach hurt. I can only imagine the pain the people were in who “choose to shoot” (CTS) and the fear and helplessness of the person who looked at their husband or wife pleading for their life.

The villain in the episode conducted the socio-psychological experiment because his family went through a similar ordeal at the hands of the Nazis. The point was to prove that all human behavior is self-serving and freedom of choice is contrary to human nature. In his experiments, he removed all outside factors and came to the conclusion that if the choice is simplified—their life or someone else’s, humans will always choose survival.