Free as a bird?

Do you ever have the feeling that no matter what you do, no matter what you say there will always be those people in your life that have control over you.  Ah I hate that!  The worst part, you try to take that control back and you can't- why because its unconscious in a way.  Prime example your parents-God love them- but no matter how old you get; there is a certain degree of control they still have over you.  To a certain extent you are always seeking your parents approval or acceptance.

This leads me to my next thought: does a person really become free as bird?  Do people ever reach a full state of free- being who they are, when they want to be, make decisions based completely on themselves, pick up their lives and start over.  Do people really get to fly through life, without a care in the world; not being hindered by the troubles of others, the acceptance of loved ones-and truly leaving things in the past.

I would love to think to a certain degree we all reach that point in our life.  At the same time, I would be interested to see how many people feel tied down because of family expectations, your first love, being scared, and wanting to be perfect. I personally have a problem with this!  Shocker, I know.  Honestly, it's hard not to be some what tied down by those you love or things occurring around you.

At some point, you have to pick and choose which things will influence your decisions.  But wouldn't it be nice if some unnecessary chains would be lifted so you could soar, reaching great heights, move toward something better, challenging, and maybe even life altering...ahhh in a perfect world. :P