How do I know I'm free? Well, in the country today, we don't have near as many freedoms as we would like. Most of the freedoms that were originally written in the Declaration of Independence have been distorted from their original purpose. Take freedom of speech, for one. These days you can't just go around and say what you want, when you want. Yes, a lot of our freedoms come with responsibilities, but there is no excuse for prosecuting a person for exercising their rights. But there are times when I do feel completely free from all the rules of society.
             One would be when I'm up on the slopes, snowboarding. There I'm not worrying about weather or not I'm going to pass the test tomorrow, or if I'm going to break my little toe if I hit a tree. When I'm up there I go to my happy place, in a way. I'm no longer aware of anything that is going on outside of that ski area, and I don't really care either. The only thing I'm thinking about when I go up, is the song that I get stuck in my head before I leave. Before I go up to the ski area, I like to crank up some speed metal and get a really fast and heavy song stuck in my head, it really helps me get the adrenaline rush going.
             Another time when I've felt the most free was this last summer on the days of July 8-10, when Kail, Nick, Derick, and I went to a Metallica concert in Denver. It wasn't just when we were at the concert itself, although that was the time when I've never felt so free and alive, but the whole trip was like getting away from all the laws which control my life every day. Even though those rules were still in effect, they just didn't matter, because we were all in our own little world those days. The ideals that govern our society, and the way we should "behave" in public no longer had any meaning to us.
             Another time when I feel most free is when I'm playing my guitar. Cranking up my amp, and grind away on that thing for a few hours is one the best ways for me to go ...