Q: What’s scarier than ‘fessing up to the inadequacies of the previous year?
A: This:
2008 is my year to experience the joy and creative sparkle of writing every day, even if the dishes go unwashed. (Anyway, dishes? Vastly overrated.)
This is my year to explode in Italian fluency.
This is my year to play with vegetables–try out new recipes, fix them in inspiring ways, have a tea party with them if necessary, and maybe even start to get along with them.
This is my year to throw out all remaining frump clothes from college and explore an edgier, more exciting look. (Yeah, sexy boots, I’m talking about you.)
This is my year to intentionally bond with my little girls, whether that means re-learning the fine art of pretend or including them in my daily chores or hugging them every five minutes or making eye contact when we talk about McDonald’s, isn’t McDonald’s amazing, can we go to McDonald’s for breakfast and lunch and supper and today and tomorrow and next week, were you aware they have toys at McDonald’s, let’s go to McDonald’s RIGHT NOW, McDonald’s has hamburgers, and why have we not moved to McDonald’s yet?!
This is my year to approach religion gently, asking my questions and opening up to the answers gradually, even if I can’t yet shed the crusty negativity built up over years of Christian misrepresentation.
And now the Beyondo part of Mondo Beyondo, the terrifyingly wonderful daydream material, the list of radioactive fantasy-goals that glow and pulsate and burn:
I dream of becoming fluent in multiple languages–Italian, Spanish, French, German, and maybe even Chinese or Russian or Icelandic or Aboriginal or duck.
I dream of writing books, publishing them, seeing my words printed and bound and carving out cozy little niches on people’s nightstands.
I dream of a future me who is confident, steady, and radiantly peaceful, always.
I feel incredibly precarious writing all this down, wondering if the limb I’m edging out on will support all my weight. But wouldn’t you know, the view from here…
…is spectacular.
this is a fantastic list, and I’m glad you wrote it all down here because it encourages me to venture beyond my comfort zone and dream again, ignoring the limits.
“I dream of a future me who is confident, steady, and radiantly peaceful, always” how close to my heart it feels…
I always wonder about writing hopes and dreams down – if they don’t happen will I feel foolish – if they happen slowely will I display impatience – if they implode will my anger explode? It’s all about showing our humanity, tainted and redeemed.
Thanks, Irene, and I hope your venturing leads you closer to the future you of your dreams!
Jo, I think you covered exactly why most people are scared of having dreams, myself included. I guess it is human to try to protect ourselves from potential hurt… but also human, gloriously so, to hope for the improbable anyway.