Independence

Independence: My friend Kyle Burkhard nicknamed me Free Tree. The name came from my yearly tradition of collecting all the free things for my birthday: Free Coffee, Free Tan, Free Waffle at IHop, Free Burrito at Moes… But after he passed away, I thought about that #freetee name more, Kyle thought I was crazy, weird, did off the cuff things, didn’t follow the status Quo. To Kyle, I was Independent Tee, but Free Tee rolls off the tongue easier.

When I was younger, my dad used to say “Marry A Rich Man” because life would be easier. I was never interested in an easy life though, I have always wanted to control my own assets, my own dreams and make my own money – and my ideas were endless. Let’s be honest, a rich man couldn’t handle me. This took me years to understand, as I tried to fit my husband in the model that my Dad envisioned for me. My husband was never going to be this man, nor would I let him or want him to succeed in this vision. Of course, the idea of me staying home with the kids seems like a fun vacation or owning several million-dollar houses would be cool. If I want to do those things, I will do them because I am in control of my own goals. I am not someone that will easily retire, I will work till my fingers are broken, which even then, I would figure out another way to keep moving forward. So, Dad, as Cher stated, “I am a rich man,” and you should be proud as fuck. I may not be rich, but I have afforded myself the best life I could dream of, and so much time to do what I want and need. I have complete control over my dreams. This is what the pursuit of happiness is all about.