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Friday, April 30, 2010

dare to dream

my feet on the Brooklyn Bridge

If you had told me this time last year that our family of 6 would be living in New York, I would have laughed. Not at you, but with you. OK, maybe at you. But while we were comfortable living in suburban Colorado, it was by no means where I wanted to stay the rest of my life. Rod and I have moved around a lot in our 20 years of marriage. I guess we like adventure.

Even though we didn't know about moving to the city a year ago, we did dream about living in a city where we could walk everywhere. We used to talk about it and say someday. I thought that someday would be when the kids were grown and out on their own. But it came sooner than that and now our whole family gets to experience the wonders of New York. It's better than what we dreamed.

I'm reading a book right now and part of it talks about the importance of dreaming. I realized I haven't done that in a while. Dream about my future. But I think I need to start again. Would you like to do it with me? I'm not talking about whining about what you wish was different in your life. I'm talking about dreaming about your future. Side note: My rule is you're never too old to dream about your future.

So, let's dream together and see what happens. Let's start with one question,

Where do you want your feet to take you?

Maybe it's somewhere new to live. Maybe it's somewhere to visit. Maybe it's just into the other room to take a nap. But let's start dreaming. Don't try to figure it all out, just let yourself dream.

22 comments:

michelle from Six in the City said...

I dream about living on the beach in a little cottage for an entire month.

Danielle (elleinadspir) said...

Oh Michelle, what a great post!!!! I dream about living in San Francisco again. I dream about taking a month off and living in a small town in Italy where my son plays stickball with local boys in the street (yes, this dream is apparently also in 1950). I dream about my husband following his dreams. I dream about not being too scared and rooted in the daily reality to dream....

Jennifer said...

I live in Asia most of the time - I'm actually leaving the U.S. in May to head back to China, where I will be for three years. So I do a lot of traveling myself.

But I dream of a month in Italy, to see and discover and explore. I've told myself over the last year, "maybe I can cut it to three weeks, whenever it happens, and make it more manageable." But no - I want a whole month in Italy, and not during tourist season. That's what I dream!

snekcip said...

Just typed a long comment and hit some button, and lost the whole thing!!! Auuuugh!!! That really irks me! Maybe I'll come back a little later with my "dream" comment!!! Excuse me while I cry in my orange juice!!!

Teresa said...

Right now I'm dreaming of walking the streets of Ethiopia again. My heart aches to go back. I know we have another little one there waiting for us...I dream of the moment we meet.

s|davis said...

I dream about living in a house across the street from the Ocean and Traveling to different foreign places.

Mrs. T said...

My husband and I jokingly call ourselves gypsies. We love to move around. Eight years ago we moved are family 900 miles to a place where we knew no one because we wanted to live on the coast! We did not even wait until our house sold, just put it in the hands of our real estate agent and flew the coop!! It was great!

But now... I am dreaming of yet another move and making plans. I will know on June 7th whether this move will take place. I can hardly contain myself and since my kids are homeschooled they are always up for an adventure!! Dreaming, dreaming, dreaming!

Mrs. T said...

That should read OUR not ARE in the second sentence. I a guess I am now too excited to proofread !!!

Jill Wignall said...

Hey saw your comment on my blog, TODAY I SAW, and thought I'd stop by Six in Manhattan. Got totally sucked in and started reading all your great stories.

Elizabeth said...

I dream of a time when my daughter is free of seizures.

Anonymous said...

Michelle-
This is so awesome. I knew I loved your blog for a reason! I've been thinking so much about trying to dream big lately and not instantly saying "no" to myself. My dream is actually to live in NYC! I love reading about your adventures with your family because it inspires me to think it will be possible in our future. -Eily

Dina said...

Just curious, what is the book you are reading? I also dream of one day living in my favorite place to be- NYC!!

michelle from six in the city said...

The book is actually a marriage book called Love and War by John and Staci Eldridge. It's a great book.

But I've also been reading a lot of random things lately about goals, dreaming, etc... But when i read it in that book, it just pushed me harder that I really need to get back to doing it:-)

Anonymous said...

I dream about going to NYC!!

Paula said...

I dream about moving to the island of Eleuthera, The Bahamas. In four years, when my husband's active duty tour is up, we may just get there. Permanently. I left my heart last year when we spent a month living there. I dream in palm trees and hermit crabs and a slower pace of life. (Ironic, then, how much I love NYC.)

StellaStarsMom said...

My dream, which I am hoping will come to fruition in the near future, is to live in the LES in NYC and be able to show my daughter all of the great things that living in city has to offer. I would love to see her running around Madison Square or helping me pick out fresh goodies from Union Square (or eating in our favorite noodle place, Republic!) or playing in a hands-on museum or......well, you get the picture!

Janette said...

My dream is to adopt a sibling for Julia. We're LID 8/15/07 - with no end in sight and not enough money to go SN. But I refuse to stop dreaming it will happen!

Anonymous said...

down the aisle

Mamatini said...

My dream is to continue the fun of our 10th anniversary. We spent a week in Tokyo, and had so much fun that we decided to spend every big anniversary in a major metropolitan area of the world. Well, the 5s will be U.S. cities - NYC, San Francisco, New Orleans, Miami - and the 10s around the world: Paris, Buenos Aires, Johannesburg, Beijing, Athens...

Anonymous said...

In recent months an idea has been germinating between my husband and I to go on an adventure. The adventure would involve our whole family moving to wherever his career takes him, so it wouldn't really be my feet so much as his brain that would take us somewhere. The adventure would involve us moving to the states (an exotic foreign country to me: I'm Canadian) into a major metropolitan area. I love big cities and all the community activities/groups, and I find the culture of patriotism in the US fascinating and really very enviable. I'd love to feel what it's like to live in a place where people really love their country, and their city. Maybe NYC? Or maybe somewhere else not quite as big and world class but still exciting.

Shana said...

My dream of late has been to downsize into a beautiful townhome on the riverfront and embrace an easy breezy lifestyle that doesn't involve maintenance and upkeep on an almost-100 year old house and yardwork. But now that we're 19 DAYS AWAY from that move, and I am still PACKING AND SORTING AND OMG WHERE DID ALL OF THIS STUFF COME FROM, the dream has become kind of nighmarish. I'm holding out hope that in 19 DAYS it'll all come together and be worthwhile. Your blog has been a great inspiration to me on this downsizing journey, by the way : )

I posted a similar question on my blog today: What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?
http://shanaob.blogspot.com/2010/05/post-no-797-and-question-for-you.html

bgcerny said...

I dream of living a life that makes a difference, and take what hasn't been the plan and run with the new adventures that will await for me. I dream of starting graduate school in the fall, and getting a creative job or work for a non-profit in NYC...dream dream...

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