Girls Just Wanna Be Free

I feel like talking about freedom, especially of the girl power kind.
I love girl power, especially when its of the story kind.
Everyone says girls just wanna have fun.
But I think girls just wanna be free.
I did some thinking recently, and my thinking was that of the realization kind.
Not an epiphany.
More like an observation.
I like to write about freedom.
Freedom of all kinds.
Freedom to chose.
Freedom to love.
Freedom to dance like no one's watching...
when everyone's watching.
Freedom to express.
Freedom to remain silent.
Freedom to live the life that you want to live.

So, what got me thinkin?
I think it was these stories.
Because, you know, I like stories.

I saw this movie with my mom!
Have you seen it with your mom?
Because you should see it with you mom.*

I can't do archery. I can't ride a horse through the rugged woods. I can't climb the Fire Falls.
But I do think there's something to be said for feeling so...was it brave?...after watching that movie. I'm not sure that's the exact word, but I will say the scene where the mother walks through the crowd of fighting men, head held high, silent as a hawk, definately gave me chills.
That movie was about so much more and so moany other things than I had made it out to be, and I love it when that happens!

Secondly,
Ah this book! My friend lent it to me and now I will have to buy my own copy, which means I will have to do it soon as I'll need the hardback copy, as I'll be buying the rest of the trilogy as it releases because I LOVED THIS BOOK!
(And also I have a pet peeve with my series being of different kinds of back--hard back, paper back. An odd peeve, but one I couldn't help to accumulate over the years.)
So
About freedom
This book is woven with notes of freedom. And what I like so much about it is that it does a really good job of inter-connecting our freedoms with our obligations and also with the accidents, both good and bad, that we cannot get away from, and how we can react to and control those circumstances with our choices.
In short, with our freedom.
In a purely bookish manner, the story is fast paced but still retains the feeling of an enduring epic novel. It's not one fight for one battle and then show's over folks, let's walk into the sunset and not forget that last ringer of a cliff hanger for your fan angsty pleasure.
No, I felt so satisfied after it was over...AND I still want to read the rest of the books. I could go on about this but instead,

Thirdly,
My own Story

I took these photos at the most opportune of unopportune moments. This is in the expansive land behind my grandfather's home on the reservation in New Mexico. The image you see could have been recreated many times over in the past years, and each time I would get a little younger and a little younger. I didn't grow up here, yet I can smell that air and feel that sun on my back two states away, so it's got to be some sort of home to me.

But my grandfather passed away days before I took these. And now those fields will never look the same to me again. I wanted to share the photos, but something held me back. Was it shame for feeling such contentedness so soon after my grandpa's passing? Oh, now you think you can own this land, Kateri? Now you chose to share it with the rest of the world?

So I forgot about it, or I made myself forget about it. But of course the thought wouldn't go away. Because I wanted to share the photos. Not many would see them anyway. And I was really growing to love them. They were mine to share. And maybe I don't like to share grief...but I like to share happiness.

Those fields will never be the same again. They are too dear to me now to ever be the same.

Happy Choices
Happy Freedoms
And happy Distances

*That means you and your mom should see it. Together. **
**Can I get more obvious?***
***Or any mother figure.