This past weekend we had our church retreat, and since it was the anniversary of MLK’s I Have A Dream speech, the theme was dreams. In one session we were told to take five minutes and make a list of thirty things we dreamed for. Here’s my off-the-cuff list, slightly edited and enhanced.
I have a dream of…
1. Being an actress
2. Effective help with mental illnesses
3. Baking bread in an outdoor oven, my outdoor oven
4. Having twins (not possible anymore, but I still sometimes fantasize about it in my less lucid moments)
5. Raising children who are kind, respectful, and good listeners
6. Experiencing church without the church behavior (ie, the pantyhose and headache cocktail)—actually, I don’t wear pantyhose or get a headache, but you get the point
7. A clear memory
8. Time to write
9. Having more patience
10. Being more open-minded
11. Having the ability to understand the other side of situations
12. Finding a balance and maintaining it
13. Everybody in the world cleaning toilets, eating homegrown tomatoes, and having a good night’s sleep
14. My children developing lasting, deep friendships
15. Conversations that are less superficial and more real
16. Writing for publication
17. Learning to make cuajada (a salty Nicaraguan cheese that lots of people hate and I happen to love)
18. Our family traveling to Central America for a full month
19. A paid vacation for Mr. Handsome
20. A shop for Mr. Handsome
21. Houseplants that look nice
22. Everything in my home being fixed and in working order
23. A fence for our field so that we can have steers and a horse
24. That people (me included) learn to value ordinary work without feeling like they have to go somewhere to do good
25. People understanding that homeschooling means learning at home, not school at home
26. A mother’s helper
27. Learning to bake real artisan bread
28. Speaking coherently
29. Having a fabulous wardrobe and looking sexy in everything I wear
30. Learning about photography
So there you have it, my train-of-thought wish list. What do you dream about? Take five minutes and tell me, please—I’d love to know.
About One Year Ago: On Our Way, Smartly. And some other stuff that I wrote about one year and one week ago: High-End Pesto and Pasta with Sauteed Peppers and Onions and Losing My Marbles.
9 Comments
Jennifer Jo
S, I'd love to hear you elaborate on the "learning hurdles."
And re the sermons: a blog is a great soapbox! You might want to consider starting one…
Anonymous
1. a clean house
2. neat drawers, closets, basement and attic
(why are those things like a vortex spiraling out of control, sucking anything that comes near, in and beyond hope?)
3. enjoying cooking (ain't there yet)
4. being a good hostess
5. godly spouses for my children
6. new furniture
7. what it is like to be uber-wealthy (I know, most of us are there, but I meant in the context of North American society)
8. being a 'hero'
9. What it is like to be Johnny Depp or Halle Berry, in my opinion, the two most physically gorgeous people around. (actually, I would like to do a movie opposite Johnny Depp. I think I would have done as good as or better than Kate Winslet in Finding Neverland)
10. all the time I want, to read
11. studying horticulture
12. what to do for the kids school, how to overcome learning hurdles
13. being a patient mom
14. real, deep relationships
15. playing the piano or guitar, really well that is.
16. preaching sermons
17. being 'on stage' with no or little fear.
18. dancing (tap, ballroom, ballet, you name it, I'd like to learn it)
19. throwing caution to the wind, not being realistic and ignoring my (imagined) limitations
20. having the same figure I had at 20
At night:
1. nightmares of being caught in the water and not able to save my children or having to choose which to save.
2. being in highschool again
3. being lost
How come I only remember the bad dreams? Answer: because they are the only ones that wake me up! 🙂
So looking at the two lists I made, probably what I really dream for is stability, meaning and safety.
S-
BTW, this was very off the cuff and tomorrow the list would probably be different! Or I will look at it tomorrow and say 'what! I wrote that!)
Jennifer Jo
Ya'll are a bunch of good dreamers! You learn a lot about a person by their dreams, I think.
It's me ...Mavis
I resisted on reading what other people wrote in the comment section first and got out a pen and paper…..I've narrowered it down to 5….and they are all selfish…..but it's my list….right?
1. Own an entire wardrobe from rei…
2. Move to a farmhouse with no electronics except internet, and lighting….and have a screened outdoor kitchen.
3.I dream about working at Panera Bread Company…in the back ….just so I can get a free lunch there everyday….but really I don't want a job….just lunch. Chicken Ceaser salad sandwich and tomato soup with tazo tea.
4. Wishing I could go back…. and change all the things I think would make life better….eaiser….but really how do you know? That one thing you really wish you could change might be the one thing that holds the glue together.
5.Abolish all gift giving holidays….what I mean is re program people so they don't feel the need to buy…anything….
6. Learn to take a compliment.
7. Sell everything but the clothes on our backs…."take 1 year off" and see the world. Then be able to have citizenship in whatever country we chose to live in.
Okay…there's 7. Now where do I buy the magic potion to make these dreams come true?
Anonymous
-A fence to keep the chickens in the pasture and out of my flower beds.
-An organized house. I can't seem to get a grip on things around here. I'm always dreaming up some new project that just adds to the clutter.
-That my children and grandchildren would choose to serve the Lord. Whatever He asks.
-I would grow to love harvesting from the garden. I love all other aspects of the gardening process.
-That all mothers on this earth would have the next meal to satisfy their hungry children.
-the toads that are so prolific in my gardens wouldn't become extinct like the frog population is so threatened in becoming.
-everyone could smell apples cooking on the stove for applesauce.
Aunt V.
Anonymous
That is a fun list!! I would have to say my number one dream is travel, travel and more travel. I can hardly think of a place I wouldn't like to visit. Also I would gladly help you out with #26 and all I would ask for in return is to get to eat all that wonderful food you are always cooking up! Glad you are back to blogging after your short hiatus. Can't wait to read about what you are cooking up next and what the family is up to. ~Robyn
Amy
Oh. I was with you until I got to 'cleaning toilets'. LOL
One of my dreams? A farmette full of animals. Mostly dogs…
Amy
Little Miss Sunshine shirt is here = http://www.80stees.com/products/Sugar-Little-Miss-Sunshine-T-shirt.asp
Everybody laughs at mine, 'cause I am soooo not sunshiney….LOL
Zoë
Right now number 29 sticks out to me – how I dispise being pregnant and wearing maternity clothes!
24 I also agree with. Our society is on the go too much.
I dream of farmers getting paid a fair price for their milk, owning a serger sewing machine, and to have a house that doesn't rain dust downstairs when you walk upstairs.