A Big Decision

I have been considering LASIK surgery for some time now, but was always held back for one reason or another. I was always worried around the risks, recovery time, if it would be worth it... and of course, the price. As a college student, I don't exactly have a lot of disposable income, so a major surgery like that is expensive.

However, after hearing an ad on Pandora the other day for a free consultation, I decided to make an appointment just to see if I could learn more about the procedure in general. Today was that appointment, so I went in to learn more about LASIK and see if I would be a valid candidate.

advancedvisionnetwork.com 

During the consultation, I was able to have all of my concerns addressed. I learned a lot about LASIK in general, but I also learned a lot about the different financing options. Up-front, the cost is very intimidating, but spread out over three years and it suddenly seems a lot more manageable.

The biggest thing I learned was personal, however. During the consultation, I realized just how liberating having LASIK would be. I would no longer need to worry about my glasses falling off when climbing, or wear special prescription goggles underwater when swimming. I wouldn't have to worry about contacts(Something that has been tremendously difficult in the past with my Sensory Processing Disorder) but would still be able to reap all of those advantages. I also wouldn't need to ever replace my glasses or contacts, and would, in short, have one less thing restraining me and holding me back. 

I realized after learning all this that the cost of the procedure in dollars was insignificant compared to the cost of missed opportunities from not having it. I couldn't afford not to go ahead with the procedure.

Starting now, I'm going to spend the next week researching different clinics and ways to pay for the procedure, but one thing is for certain; by the end of the year, I will have had LASIK and broken another one of my chains.

The Magical Unicycle Journey

Last week I had an experience that was fundamentally different from anything that I had ever done before, and it only happened because of my alignment. I have dubbed the event my Magical Unicycle Journey, because it truly was transformative... and it all started with a unicycle.


I was riding my bike home from school, taking my usual route. Along the way, I spotted a man riding a unicycle coming from the other direction. He passed me, then turned off on a pathway that led through a nearby forest. Before I found my alignment, I would have made a mental note of 'Huh, that's interesting...' and kept on going. And that is exactly what I did, at first.

But then I had a moment where I realized I wanted a picture of the unicyclist for my scrapbook, and that if a man was riding a unicycle through a forest, he certainly knew something about freedom. So I turned around and followed him.

 

By this point the unicyclist was so far ahead that I couldn't see him. The path continued on for some distance, and eventually split. I didn't know which way the unicyclist went, but on a whim I proceeded further into the forest. This led me to a very large staircase, which was an unexpected sight, to say the least. 

 After walking my bike up the rather steep path, I came out in Narnia Suburbia. This helped explain the staircase, but it only piqued my curiosity even more, as I had no idea that anybody lived out here.

 

I proceeded to travel through this unknown land, taking in all of my surroundings. It was a chilly day, but my elation kept me going forward,unwilling to turn back the way I had came.

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 I passed rows upon rows of houses, and even a small playground, before I found an actual road.

 Apparently, I came out in Kirkland.

 From here, I was able to navigate to Redmond Way, and follow that back to my home.

 It was a 40-minute journey; much longer than my typical 10-minute commute. I certainly took the long way home, but although I never found the unicyclist, I definitely had an uplifting and memorable experience that I never would have been able to experience otherwise.

My final route:

Onward, to Discovery!

The Tree of Freedom

In the course of practicing Freedom, I have made a discovery that to me Freedom can take the shape of a tree. This may seem odd, as trees are static, immobile and rooted in place, but despite this they share many traits that I feel are important for Freedom:

1) Trees and Freedom both require roots in stability. For me, I cannot practice Freedom without knowing I have a strong foundation to reach out from and to fall back to when I fail. Having the security of knowing you have this sanctuary to retreat to does wonders for encouraging me to go all out and try new things.

2) Tree seeds are scattered on the wind or by animals, and when they grow they make to with what they were given and reach out to the heavens. Their branches extend out towards the sky, seeking the warmth and glory of the sun which makes them happy. I also yearn to spread out my branches towards the joy and wonder that makes me happy.

3) Trees are flexible, and bend when stressed but take much, much more pressure to break. This flexibility is what makes trees so strong and durable, able to withstand punishment and yet continue to strive for the sky and it's wonders.

I have began work on a project that I have dubbed 'The Book of Freedom' - a scrapbook that I will fill out as I practice my new Alignment of Freedom. My goal for this project is to practice my alignment as often and to as great an extent I can, having many awesome adventures in the progress. This book will record those adventures as a reminder and, hopefully, will help me come to a better understanding of what Freedom means.

While I have not yet begun the actual scrapbook, I have started having adventures, which has been a very invigorating and enjoyable experience. I look forward to seeing where this goes.