The Taste of Freedom

Greetings friend! Today's a quick update on what-all is happening around here.. and gets into a bit of what 'here' means for my life partner and I right now!Here's the poem that I read for you in this episode:The Taste of FreedomI couldn’t find a forkOr oilOr salt.The pan had been packed.Couldn’t make my preferred breakfastNo eggsQuinoaAvocadoAvailable even if I could.So I ate my breakfast greensWith my fingersEnjoyed the hell out ofA cheesyGreasyEgg-on-croissant from a local coffee shopAlong with twoDeliciousTinySungold cherry tomatoesFrom the garden that will soon belongTo other stewards of thisThe place we’ve called home for 20 yearsThat was my breakfast on moving day.YesterdayAs I ate with my fingers I repeated to myself“This tastes like freedom”Such joy in my heart.Anxiety about what could go wrongFear about what bad might happenUsed to stop meFrom doing things I really wished to do.All the unknowns.How would I be okay withoutFor exampleMy usual favorite breakfast?Who am I if I don’t stick to these routines?And anywayHow do I reimagine my relationshipWith my grown children?What happened that they are now grownupsAnd not babies in my charge any longer?AlsoWhat’s lurkingIn all the corners of this homeThat I haven’t touched for 20 years?Where do I start if I wish to move onTo what’s next.How do I bring intentionTo this new phase of my life?Yikes!These were some of the many questionsSome of the thousands ofMicroMacroDecisionsThat I used to avoidAs I tiptoed around trying to make everything not explode.How wonderful to discoverThat it is all goodIt’s really okay to just be on my journey.All figureoutableI live everywhereI have people to lovePeople who love me.I take you with meWherever I liveAs I take myself.- by Kay Lock Kolp, Ripley Pond, Maine, Thursday, 21 August 2025Subscribe to this newsletter so that it shows up in your inbox, instead of you having to go search for it :) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kaylockkolp.substack.com/subscribe