Captive

Picture this...

You sit in a locked prison cell, isolated. It's just you; no friends or family reside. You've been here so long, it's basically all you now know. It's home.

One day, you hear footsteps walking towards your cell. They pause in front of your prison door. You hear what sounds like a set of keys jingling in their hands. Then a loud click rings through your ears, one that a lock makes as it becomes unlatched. The door swings open.

The light from outside starts to engulf every inch of darkness that surrounds you. You cover your face because of your eyes' sensitivity to the brightness.

Though you cannot see, you hear a man's voice as he says, "You're free. Go."

Several seconds pass in silence. You don't move. Nothing happens. So he asks, "What's wrong? Don't you want to leave? Here's your chance."

Although you don't possess much in your cell, you look around at what you do have... A pillow your head lies on every night, a blanket that provides warmth, a picture that brings back memories of your past, a notepad carrying a lot of your personal thoughts along with a few other small trinkets you hold close to your heart.

You think a little longer then respond, "This is all I have. This is all I know. I'm sorry, but I can't just leave it all behind."

Shaking his head in disbelief, the man slowly closes your cell door, locks it back and walks away. Smiling, you gather all of your things and embrace them in your arms. As you lean back against the cold concrete wall, completely oblivious to what just occurred, you say to yourself, "This is the life."

After reading this are you thinking, "How ignorant? I would never do something like that."

Tragically, it happens all the time when we choose materialism over experience. Instead of making memories, living life and enjoying freedom, we sacrifice what's important for fleeting objects that ultimately have no real meaning or payoff at all.

When Opportunity unlocks your door, opens it and offers you freedom please take it without looking back so that you can let go of everything imprisoning you from living your life.

Be strong, be brave and just walk away.