How it feels to be free

Well I wish I could be like a bird in the sky/How sweet it would be if I found I could fly

Oh I’d soar to the sun and look down at the sea

Nina Simone

Fun fact: I was almost named Nina Simone. She was one of my father’s favourite jazz/soul singers and it was only fitting to want to name his only daughter after her. At least that’s what he thought, my mother had already had my name set aside so he did not get his wish. When I heard about this, I was a tad disappointed because Nina-Simone Lewis does have a nice ring to it. I think it’s because of this and that there was a Nina Simone album in our house -of which I know every track- I fell in love with her music, her story and her life’s mission. I am drawn to her raw, soulful and plaintive meaningful lyrics.

Just recently, I was feeling pretty low and couldn’t sleep and the lyrics of How it feels to be free came to mind. I started humming it but that wasn’t enough, so I went on YouTube and listened to it on repeat for a long time and my mood lifted. I was mulling over the lyrics for some time and this blog was born as a result. One of my favourite lines from that song is:

                I wish I could be like a bird in the sky

                How sweet it would be, if I found I could fly…

It’s interesting that we associate freedom with birds and flying. Maybe it’s because birds are physically able to go anywhere they want, poop on people’s heads just for the fun of it, move house at the drop of a hat and have spontaneous sky trips. I mean who doesn’t crave that life. They don’t have a care in the world. They are being who they were created to be, birds. That’s what birds do. That’s who they are.

In the same way, we should be true to who we are, not allowing the weight of people’s opinions and perceptions to hold us back. We shouldn’t deny who we are to fit into someone’s mold of who they think we should be. If we are okay with something today and not okay with it tomorrow, so be it.

Allow yourself to be you, give yourself the space and permission to evolve and become the person who you were always meant to be.

What’s holding you back? What’s weighing you down?