Finding Freedom

 

FURNISHING HOPE BECCA BY REBECCA VIRTUEAs July 4 approaches, I have been thinking about liberty. Is war the opposite of freedom? Is love the opposite of hate? I believe that apathy is the opposite of love. I am pondering the opposite of autonomy. I challenge myself to make selections that will make me proud.

Owning a bikini from the 2012 Wounded Warrior collection from Becca Swim has been a good choice for me. The tag says, “Your Becca Swim purchase is making a difference in a warrior’s life.” I have only owned suits from Becca for the last eight years since I first tried one on at Everything but Water. Honestly besides my passport, kindle and laptop, my swimsuit might be the most important object in my backpack.

Becca Swimwear committed to support Furnishing Hope with their 2012 swimwear collection as a way to improve the lives of families and help to provide a healing environment. I chose them because they have the best fitting suits but I also feel impressed by the character of their choices.

 

In the movie Jack Reacher, Tom Cruise’s character has chosen to live outside the lines that many take for granted. He tells us:

Look at the people. You tell me which ones are free. Free from debt. Anxiety. Stress. Fear. Failure. Indignity. Betrayal. How many wish that they were born knowing what they know now? Ask yourself how many would do things the same way over again, and how many would live their lives like me.

Can a character like Jack Reacher show us the way to independence? Is Steve McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin’s character on Hawai-five-0) able to lead you to responsibility? McGarrett (in Season 3 Episode 20 “Olelo Pa’a” which means “The Promise”) returns to North Korea to bring home a fallen soldier. He must step outside the lines to do the right thing for his friend and his family.

What will you fight for? When do you color outside the lines? Share your story about where you find freedom. It may be a place near to your backyard or on another continent. Which of your passions have you had to defend? I hope you are proud of your choices or find the courage to start to stand up for what you believe in. We are waiting for you.

 

Lisa Ellen Niver

Lisa Niver is an award-winning travel expert who has explored 102 countries on six continents. This University of Pennsylvania graduate sailed across the seas for seven years with Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Renaissance Cruises and spent three years backpacking across Asia. Discover her articles in publications from AARP: The Magazine and AAA Explorer to WIRED and Wharton Magazine, as well as her site WeSaidGoTravel. On her award nominated global podcast, Make Your Own Map, Niver has interviewed Deepak Chopra, Olympic medalists, and numerous bestselling authors, and as a journalist has been invited to both the Oscars and the United Nations. For her print and digital stories as well as her television segments, she has been awarded three Southern California Journalism Awards and two National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards and been a finalist twenty-two times. Named a #3 travel influencer for 2023, Niver talks travel on broadcast television at KTLA TV Los Angeles, her YouTube channel with over 2 million views, and in her memoir, Brave-ish, One Breakup, Six Continents and Feeling Fearless After Fifty.

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