“Experience Freedom” By Katherine Sorto

Posted January 1,2025

When I discuss freedom, some might think of a wild life experience. Yet, to experience freedom, you can be anywhere. You can be at a library, a food market, or your favorite sofa spot at home! The freedom I often refer to is the freedom found within yourself. You don’t have to travel to a specific destination to encounter freedom. Some people may travel from country to country, and not experience freedom within themselves. The freedom I refer to is the freedom in which you don’t feel the negativity and oppression the world may try to bring to you. On a daily basis, something or someone will add some type of stress into your life. If I were to ask to an audience “Raise your hand if you wake up on certain days and experience zero stress levels?”, I’d expect to see zero hands being raised. If I saw any hands being raised, I’d gladly announce “liars and smile”. Why is that? Stress, problems, and situations that we cannot control are meant to happen. Life isn’t colors and rainbows or as I love to say “we don’t have any confetti, but we can make some!”.

To encounter freedom, we must be okay with experiencing life and its highs and lows. If we take a look at the ocean waves, we can see ups and downs as the water molecules move up and down. Our lives can feel as ocean waves and we can’t control them. What we can control is our reaction to the waves which reflect to the freedom you’ve found or are about to unlock! In life, every single person experiences highs and lows. The highs and lows I refer to can be our greatest moments to our worst times. I will share an example that will help you connect with one of my personal experiences. In my early adult years, I exposed myself to NYC subways or trains as some call NYC Metros. I would travel from one state to another by train to make it on time for musical events I was a part of. I had my first car at the time, and I never drove it to NYC. I chose to explore NYC and metros. Exploring metros purposely was a learning experience I sought independently to understand NYC transportation, culture, and the differences between transportation types.

During one of my trips, I fell asleep listening to soft music from my pink beats. I woke up far from the stop I had to exit from. My phone battery was going down, my GPS decided to not work, and I suddenly felt lost. As I stood outside in a street that was unfamiliar and unknown.. I felt upset. I felt worried about missing a church musical, about not having a way to communicate with anyone due to my phone acting up in those moments. Has it happened to you? Or anything similar? For example, you may go through a situation, and suddenly everything worsens? If so, I’d like to remind you those are the ocean waves we can’t control in our lives. Those are the waves that suddenly feel like cyclones. I ended up getting home about 3 hours later than expected without phone usage since the battery died completely, and without anyone to help me. I found myself asking local police officers for support and guidance on how to get back home. I also bought a hard copy map with directions and routes that weren’t too easy to follow initially. I made it home safe and that was my victory.

The freedom that belongs to you and all isn’t the freedom that many think of , but the one that you can unlock in your highest and lowest moments. How we react in life is based on the freedom found within ourselves through the gifts of life unfound anywhere. The most beautiful gifts that you can experience are love, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, longanimity, gentleness, faith, modesty, continency, and chastity. In Galatians 5:22, Saint Paul refers to the 12 fruits of the holy spirit. The 12 fruits aren’t easily attainable, but possible and true for humanity as a gift from God. Experiencing the beautiful gifts of life can help us have a better reaction reflecting a freedom found within ourselves and the freedom that can be experienced through our reactions and approach. To manage our lives in difficult moments is a reflection of freedom. Situations cannot control nor destroy your purpose and calling. Everyone that has breath is a walking living purpose. I’ve seen people convert a problem into chaos for themselves and everyone around them. I’ve seen people convert one problem into ten more. The way a person reacts to the waves of highs and lows in life is a reflection of themselves, of their mindset, and poor character.

Thankfully, my experience taught me how to navigate the city of New York technology free and independently which taught me a lot. Every experience teaches us a lesson. Whether the experience is positive or negative, our lesson can be positive depending our reaction, and our acceptance to all that occurs in our lives. Don’t be the person to argue, fight, and convert trials into tribulations. You have the power to convert trials into powerful experiences such as glory, new mindset, understanding, maturity, and richness in other life areas. How you react reflects the freedom you’ve found or are discovering currently. When you encounter freedom from inside out, you experience freedom in all the things life has coming your way. I have many writings regarding character and how to unlock your greatest strengths in all environments. My prayers are for lives to receive a special message through writings inspired by God alone.