For years I have joked about being locked in a tower. I live alone in an apartment building, and I have been mostly dependent on other people if I want to leave it. It has been a running joke that I am Rapunzel – on deeper analysis that also means to be trapped, caged and limited.  

A tower is just a tall building, not meant to be inhabited, built for purpose with increased visibility; for observation, signaling, as a fortified defensive structure. Towers can be castles, prisons, communication antennas, church spires and bell towers, skyscrapers, monuments, beacons and lighthouses.

It all depends on how we want to look at it and label it. 

Physically, I may be stuck in an apartment tower. I might not be meant to be here all the time.

However, while I have to be here, not all of me has to stay contained. 

I have eyes that can see what’s happening below and around me. 

I have a voice that can flow out to the world through all the magical communication devices we have now. 

I have experience and knowledge that have a craving to be shared.

I have a mind that decides how to determine my conditions and the world around me.

My body may not be able to move but every other part of me can.

This is the Lady in the Lighthouse. Not Rapunzel trapped waiting to be saved, but the woman who saves herself regardless of whether she can leave or not, and shines her light for others to be guided by and find their own way. 

Changing the language we use can change the feeling, the mindset and the experience we have. 

Language matters. Here are my stories.