A short story about how we sometime commit ourselves to an emotional prison confined by our memories and fantasies. Our freedom from the past release date is within our solitary control. Our perspective limits or releases our freedom.

1. Solitary Confinement
Prison of One
Wanted to relay a perspective about bad experiences, mistakes, and failures. Life’s challenges and
disappointments will hit a fork in the road and a decision of which road to take must be made. A prisoner
in a cell was asked “what you in for and how much time you done’? The prisoner replied, “guilty of
memories which I refuse to shake and it has been so long I stopped counting”. The first prisoner replied,
“me too, memories, but I’m just passing through”. The prisoner facing hard time then asked, “how did
you get out so soon”? He replied “it is not a life sentence just an indefinite one. You can leave whenever
you like.”
Many times we keep ourselves prisoners to our thoughts, memories, and circumstances beyond the pain
of hopes delayed, uselessness, or a lesson learned. Our cell is a construct of our mind built with fear,
anger, and regrets of what was lost or never realized. Rest assured it will be compounded by the loss of
what cannot be gained while locked in a psychological and emotional cell of our incarceration. Ask
yourself, what is stopping your freedom, if not you? It is a solitary confinement heavily guarded by our
ego, shame, and other’s opinions. But, that’s on us player. Whatever has imprisoned us either is no
longer an option or could care less that we are not or never were.
In many ways we are self-healing by our thoughts and emotions. The difference is our thoughts and
emotions can be prevented from healing by our choices, influences, and insecure shadows in our mind.
Family, it is nothing more than memories and hormonal reactions that we control if we choose. So,
things didn’t work out today may be because it was making us available for a better outcome tomorrow.
I have learned the wisdom of not fluctuating according to events or emotions. But, instead accept it and
look beyond the occurrence to practice the patience of anticipating the reward beyond my wisdom or
vision. Life is strange that way, perseverance will expand our limit when we feel we have reached it or to
further distance us from it.
Very few things in life we are unable to hop back from. It is just an adversary waiting to be conquered,
out maneuvered, or disregarded. For example, ever want someone back and encounter them only to see
they are not the memory of what you were missing. That seeing them gives closure to the foolishness of
missing them. Now you are relieved and lucky you dodged that bullet. But what if as a result of it you
stepped your game up and now the shine is much brighter than it was before due to their absence. But
all you can do is thank them for the inspiration that molded you through the adversity they left you in.
Realize it is not pain or failure it is fuel, turbo fuel. So, the solitary confinement can be short and
beneficially used more as a temporary detention for improvement or indefinite hard time in a prison of
one confined by memories. Which road have you taken, memories or freedom from their limitations?
The choice is entirely yours.
Thurston K Atlas
Creating a Buzz