Freedom

I recently started to work two jobs. In my first job, I am working as a caregiver for a woman who lives nearby. She is 91 years old, and within the last six months, she lost her husband and fell and broke her hip. My second job is working as a prep cook at the Stephenson County Jail. Though I work in the kitchen, I work daily with the  inmates as there are at least four in the kitchen with us each day. I do the cooking along with instructing the inmates on their tasks, and I help to make the kitchen run smoothly.
These are about as opposite as can be as far as jobs go, but they have me thinking about the same thing. That thing is freedom. And it does not quite go the way you might think it would.
Lots of times, the inmates will ask me how I am doing; how my day is going, how my Christmas was, etc, etc. And then they laugh at me when I ask how their day is going. Of course they are not having a good day, they are in jail. And they seem to think that I should feel sorry for them. And to a point, I do. But in general, I don't. While I feel bad that they are in jail, especially over the holidays, there is a reason that they are in jail. They weren't just kidnapped off of the streets and thrown in prison. They made very poor choices, and they are now living with the consequences of their choices.
On the other hand though, this lady I take care of, she didn't make poor choices that got her into the predicament she is in. Oh, I am sure that she made some choices that weren't the best; everyone does. But mostly, from what I've gathered from talking to her, she made mostly good choices. What has happened to her is simply life. And she has lost her freedom through growing old. She really can't do anything on her own. I have to stay the night at her house so that she has someone to help her get dressed, get her breakfast, and even help her get into bed. She is legally blind, and often can't even figure out how to turn the tv on because she can't tell what buttons are what.
Freedom is one of the most important things in our lives. One of the most degrading things you can do to a person is take away their freedom. But what to do when life takes away that freedom...I can try to help this lady have as much freedom as possible. I can do everything that I can to not take away any more freedom than she has already lost.
And I can take a lesson from her life. I can live in the freedom I have been given as long as I am able to live in it. I will do everything I can to not throw it away. The inmates at the jail have taken their freedom and thrown it away through their dumb choices. They could be free. They are fairly young, able bodied people who could be out living their lives instead of wasting their time in jail.
So are we using our freedom, or are we giving it away?