Witherwill

n. The longing to be free of responsibility. Nothing is more empowering than knowing you're free to do as you please. Yet there's something unsettling—if you're in control of your destiny, whatever fate befalls you has your name on it.

Such is the blessing and curse of adulthood. Life is richer than when you were a kid, but not nearly as fun, because now you're on the hook for it. You'll pay for whatever silly things you do, even if the cost is rarely clear.

There's a part of you that longs to be free without carrying freedom's burden. That's why you feel drawn toward situations that let you off the hook—deadlines that force your hand, putting others' desires first, losing yourself in work or drunkenness.

It's only at night, falling asleep, that the burden lifts. Dreams come and go without a thought. Your sleeping mind forgives itself, forgets itself. Yet your body keeps your limbs frozen. Even when free to do as you please, you're the only thing holding you back.