Stone Walls and Iron Bars

‘Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage.’ So said the 17th century cavalier poet, Richard Lovelace – whose father was knighted by King James I. Was he right?

This quote came to me via an e-mail from a wonderful friend of mine…it got my mind wrapped on the actual words and I could not let it go. In fact, they hold much meaning.  Sometimes the walls and iron bars we are “caged” by are our own.  We build the walls and embrace the bars in many ways during our lifetime.  We build the walls to hide behind or to keep us safe from harm or what we perceive as harm.  We want to feel secure, safe, perhaps even elusive.

However, sometimes our own notions of safety and security are merely a facade, an illusion of protection.  Sometimes, they can even be an excuse not to move on with our lives, to keep us from moving towards our dreams because of fear.  It is difficult to move from our comfort zones and work hard towards our dreams no matter how difficult the path may seem and no matter how much those around us, even our loved ones may not approve or understand why we do the things we do.

Don’t let anyone halt your dreams. Break down those stone walls and melt those iron bars and break free!

Here’s to living! Enjoy the ride!