I imagine...

I did a lot of stream of consciousness writing in 2006 when I was trying to figure out what I wanted my new life to be like. I'm still trying to figure it out but I read this and realized that my ideal life is pretty much the same.

I imagine…

Loading up my car for a trip to camp… to sleep under the stars in the desert with no tent. To sleep by a campfire on the beach in Baja and wake up smelling smokey, to drive up the coast with all of the windows down.

I may be with someone – my kids, a friend,  a lover… it’s peaceful and I smile and we laugh… a lot. I imagine being free and happy with simple things – a simple kind of life. Independent and powerful and smart enough to make decisions and face challenges. To may by brain work through problems.

To have a job that I love but doesn’t suck the life from me. Where I can leave and not feel like I have to work weekends.

To me, happiness is peace. Friends drinking wine. Dancing until midnight. Laughing at stupid stuff. Waking up to fresh coffee.

I imagine hanging with my kids. Teaching them how to be smart people. Showing them new things – helping them experience fun activities that teach them about nature. Showing them that giving an old lady and her dog a ride to the bus stop is a lesson in random acts of kindness. That life really doesn’t revolve around Tamaguchi and Pokemon. That rain is beautiful. That they have everything. That they are strong and smart. How to solve problems. That its okay to cry. That its not okay to be meant to people. That there are thousands of things they can do to be happy. That crawling into bed with me on a Sunday morning is really okay. That I’ll always be there for them no matter what. That strong, smart and beautiful is a very powerful combination. That there is beauty in everyday things. That there is a lesson to be learned in every interaction. That there you should never ever give in – ever. That you should tell people what is beautiful about them at any time – not just special occasions. That you should never save your good clothes for special occasions.