Dreaming It Up!

Have you seen the movie Tangled? My favorite part is after the song "I've Got A Dream" when an inebriated Shorty still has the song in his head. Out in front of the pub, he slurs "I'f got thum dreamth". It's so funny!

 

Shorty from Walt Disney Picture's Tangled.

I am a BIG dreamer always thinking about what I want my future to look like. Don't get me wrong, my life is good, privileged even! I work hard and always have, which is a blessing is many ways, but it also takes away from how I would most like to be spending my time. Work and preparing for it leaves me with little free time. Then again, without the income, I couldn't do many of the things I love.

 

Having dreams is important but what if I am dreaming of things I can never have? Well...so what? What is the worst that can happen? Things often turn out differently from what we planned so this is something most of us are use to. I enjoy looking to the future with excitement about the possibilities. I see that there are things I can change and things I cannot. Its a pretty low risk to dream BIG.

As I grow older and experience life's beat downs and joys, I realize that my wishes need to be defined if I want them to be more than just dreams. Then, I can take the steps, one foot in front of the other toward making things happen. The worst case, in my eyes, is to be stagnant before building a happy, balanced life. I need to decide what is most important. Making a choice and working toward it, remaining open to it's evolution, sacrificing some parts to breathe life into others will lead closer to living the dream.

Writing these things helps expose the clutter. I am writing down my dreams so they exist outside of my head. This way, I can revisit and revise, and know what I am working towards. This makes the grind worthwhile!

I think a lot about what I want my future to look like. 

Where do I want to be? 
What will I do with my time? 
Who do I want by my side?

The time I spend now working and living my routine, I can gather information, and get pieces like paperwork in place for future changes. For example, I've recently received my Croatian citizenship by decent and I am glad that I was able to go through that long and expensive process while not in a hurry and while I have a dependable income. Now the European Union is open to me.

Although not super specific yet and some of the logistics are missing, here is my first go at writing down the things I want in my life.

Climate

I want to live in a temperate or subtropical climate. I've lived in 4 countries but the place I have lived longer than anywhere else is Calgary, Alberta. It has many good qualities but the winter lasts so long and the growing season is therefore too short. My number one wish is to move to warmer, more humid climes, with a longer growing season.

Culture

I love the practice of family taking care of each other, with different generations living nearby or even on the same piece of land (as long as we have our own spaces), making it easy to help one another. Pooling assets and needs, whether they be skills, knowledge, or material goods seems like an efficient way to live, with a smaller footprint. We've become accustomed to living privately and although having our own space can be really nice, it's also lonely and we have become used to this lonelier way to live.

I see people from other cultures living with their neighbor's and family. Although it would take getting used to, I think it would make for a more fulfilling life. I imagine being old and alone and how it would be better to be surrounded by folks you know rather than being cooped up all alone with lots of privacy.

A view from the terrace of our rental accommodation in Italy. That open window belongs to an old neighbor, Salvatore, who would come to the window and say "Buongiorno" and "Do've la ragazza?" (where is the girl?). He was adorable and warm and it was great to exchange words with him even though I we don't speak one another's languages. Somehow we found a way.

 

A slower pace of life where time is taken to sit and have coffee in a real cup, a 3 hour lunch break with nap during the hottest time of day sounds like real living to me. I have a cousin in Croatia, Tatjana, and she says "If you don't have time for coffee, you need to get your life together."  This is something I do not normally make time for, but I want to start!

This private, fast paced life is wasteful, too. I don't know how anyone can think that all the the single-use items filling up the planet is no big deal. It seems the focus is on getting as much done as we can , as much turn-over in the least amount of time possible. Take it to go so you can get more done, walk while eating breakfast, make a phone call while walking the dog, and listen to a podcast while trying to fall sleep - it's all geared toward maximizing consumption. I admire those who have not adopted this way of life. They are instead present in the task at hand. 

Place

I wish to be surrounded by old cultures and historical architecture. I am a sucker for the sound of church bells ringing nearby. However,  am torn between a small piece of land or a place in an old town center. It's not to say that I can afford to have either but this is my dream so I will go big.

I guess the ideal l would be in an old town with a yard. I want to have space in to grow food and have a couple of animals. I'll admit I have never seen goats in a town center (but my Baka had chickens!) so I may need to give up the animal part. As long as I can have my boy, Pocket, by my side I'm okay with that.

Pocket, the best boy ever!

A small, quiet piece of land also appeals to me. It doesn't have to be big but enough for my dog to run around and explore. If I could toss in a couple of fruit trees (lemon please!), a couple of chickens and a goat I think I'd be really happy. I would hope that I could learn how to care for these animals properly so they can thrive, the goat mowing my lawn and giving me milk for cheese. Chickens for eggs. I think I would enjoy the solitude and could go to the nearby town center every few days or so, when I needed more, or social stimulation. 

Regardless of which I end up with, I want to have the sea within, more or less, a half hour drive. Being near a body of saltwater makes me feel alive and well. It is such a pleasure to simply walk along the coast smelling that fabulous fresh sea air. The odd dip in the sea goes without saying.

Having a garden I can cook from would be such a wonderful way to live. Composting the unused parts back into the soil giving it new life. I love playing a small role in such a system. An outdoor kitchen will be useful and a pleasure to use for many months of the year in this warmer climate, too.

There are many ways to grow a garden. Here is one idea for growing what you like in an old town setting.

A second building where my parents can live would eventually become my daughters home so she and her family can live there and we can take care of one another. I understand the strong possibility that all of these pieces don't fall into place in the way I am hoping, but I'm still dreaming it. If I don't dream it, it definitely won't happen. In case I end up with a second building that no one wants to live in so I rent it out or divide and sell.

I love to travel and hopefully will have enough money to take road trips in retirement. Living in Europe would be ideal for this since other cultures are within a short distance and it appears to be easy to bring your dog along everywhere. If I live by the sea in a warm climate, will the pull to travel still be there?  In some ways, with having witnessed over tourism I would feel better about travelling less and being more satisfied where I live.

It's easy to see how complex it all becomes as each wish raises more questions. It helps me to work out the details and declutter my mind, figuring out whether or not each piece is something I really want. Clearly I have work to do in figuring out the logistics!

Have you tried to write or visualize your dreams? I'd love to hear anything about yours and how you do this.