{"id":877,"date":"2016-08-27T00:34:31","date_gmt":"2016-08-27T00:34:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/drewfrederic.com\/?p=877"},"modified":"2023-06-24T01:11:18","modified_gmt":"2023-06-24T01:11:18","slug":"freedom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drewfrederic.com\/?p=877","title":{"rendered":"Freedom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

March 10, 2012 was the very first day I stepped outside my town-home with my camera to take photos that I actually felt free.  Free from guilt and sorrow.  Free from pain and despair.  Free from the aches and pains I felt deep inside my bones.  Free from the headaches, worry, and the feeling of loss.  Free from the ‘self’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three years before my partner committed suicide and for the following three years I was a prisoner in my own world.  I would go to work and come home.  That was my life.  I tried to get out, but would always end back on the sofa.  For 1,095+ days, the only thing I knew was my sofa.  I was lost and alone.  The only one who knew was ‘me’.  I put on a pretty good show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I do not know what it was, but one day I just knew that if I did not get out and mingle with others, experience life, I was going to die within. I knew something had to change.  I woke up on March 10th and found the strength to leave my home and drive to the ‘9-mile’ train station in Aurora, CO.  I found the courage to hop on the train and took it all the way to the historic black community of ‘5-Points’ of Denver.  Back in its’ hey-day it was known as the ‘Harlem of Denver’. All the great Jazz and Blues artists came through and treated the city to real soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a purpose in all things and all things evolve.  Unfortunately ‘5-Points’, over time, became a haven for crime and drugs.  Now it is seeing a resurgence in cultural events and the people are taking pride once again in their community.  ‘5-Points’ is my favorite part of Denver and it became my sanctuary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I was wandering around ‘5-Points’  on March 10, 2012, I came upon an abandoned warehouse that engulfed my being.  I was there for more than two hours.  Sitting, wondering, thinking, crying, in pain, releasing, over-whelmed, and finally being thankful.  I started asking ‘why’ and then decided to just let it go and enjoy what was before me.  For what ever reason, this place gave me the ‘FREEDOM’ from me that I had so desperately had been seeking.  My ego was so wrapped up in being a victim that I knew and saw nothing in front of me until this day.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Freedom\"
Abandoned Warehouse in ‘5-Points’, Denver, CO.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The warehouse I spent most of my day is the home to many.  It is their refuge, their solace, their peace, their comfort, their home… I recognized, did not disturb, left a note, left some money, and most of all, appreciated what I had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My road to ‘FREEDOM’, from me, started this day and continues to be a journey.  Some days are harder than others, but most are easy now and the hard days are fewer and fewer.  I am taking this time to give thanks.  It only takes one step and I am thankful I took that ‘one step’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheers,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drew Frederic<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

March 10, 2012 was the very first day I stepped outside my town-home with my camera to take photos that I actually felt free.  Free from guilt and sorrow.  Free from pain and despair.  Free from the aches and pains I felt deep inside my bones.  Free from the headaches, worry, and the feeling ofContinue reading “Freedom”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65103359,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[563],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-thoughts","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s6puAb-freedom","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drewfrederic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drewfrederic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drewfrederic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drewfrederic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/65103359"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drewfrederic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=877"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/drewfrederic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/877\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11401,"href":"https:\/\/drewfrederic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/877\/revisions\/11401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drewfrederic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drewfrederic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drewfrederic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}