a million lifetimes (me, too!)

i read my friend jamie's blog and the whole time kept saying to myself, "me, too....me, too!"
she blogged about how sometimes it feels like we need a million lifetimes to do all of the things we want to do. so i'm jumping-in to that thought as well...

i've always wanted to live in a big city...like new york or boston or chicago. i want the bright city lights to glare at me out my bedroom window. i want to ride the subway to work, and then as i walk to the closest stop, i want to grab my breakfast on the street on the way in to the office, and on the way home stop in the local grocery (trader joe's!) to buy the food for dinner i'm going to cook in my tiny studio flat. i want to fall asleep to the sound of taxi cabs and sirens (yes, i know i'm weird.) i could use my advertising degree and work in a big agency.
...or i could live my dream of working on broadway. (side note: in high school, my best friend and fellow brunette lauren and i wanted to grow up and be double-cast in a show, and work every-other night...giving the other one the free time to enjoy life....well, she's currently in Wicked on broadway. ...i didn't hold up my end of the bargain.)

but i also love the idea of living in colorado. i'd have a job that would allow me to hit the slopes after work, and of course my weekends would be spent on the mountain. winters would be all snowboarding, all the time...and summers would be full of hiking and biking, camping and climbing. i'd actually need to own my SUV.

and then there's my obsession with the pacific northwest. [have you ever been there, marisa? well...no. but i just have this feeling that i'm gonna love it. i've got a trip planned to seattle + portland for mid-may, and i can't wait!] i'd have a job that would allow me to sit at a coffeeshop all day, and meet all sorts of interesting people. i'd be a short car-trip from the beach and the mountains.

and yet, my heart is in africa. i would love to spend extended time with the people we serve. i would bring a team of all of my favorite people and we'd do community in africa...away from schedules and cell phones. i'd connect deeply with my friends there, on a level that only happens when you're living life together. we'd dream and wait for the day when every child gets a chance at an education, and every person gets to drink clean water. i'd fight for justice and live for peace.

maybe i would be a world traveler. i'd love to travel atleast once a month -- to someplace new, someplace unexplored. i'd have to keep ordering new pages in my passport, because i'd have too many stamps. i'd fall in love with people from every culture, every nation. i'd keep a journal that could turn into a book about the simple joys and great lessons from each adventure.

there's the part of me that wants to own my own coffeshop. it would be in a big house, with comfy couches and little nooks to escape from the outside world. we'd host live music and art shows and book clubs. it would be a gathering place for friends new and old.

i would love to sing backup (you know, BGVs, for you industry peeps!) on all sorts of records. i love how the days turn to nights, as they're spent in the studio. i love finding the perfect harmony, and watching a song come together. i love the way music connects us, and moves my heart. i don't even have to get paid or get recognition....i just want to SING!

i'd love to plan parties, and constantly host events. i want to host my small group from church in my living room...and plan and host the inauguration ball for the president...and everything in between. i want an unlimited budget to decorate and design every last detail. an empty room is my canvas, and i love creating a home.

maybe i'd really pursue film and television. i'd start out in commercials, and slowly work my way up to primetime. preferably i'd be a host on TLC or HGTV shows like clean sweep and get organized...combining my love for the camera with my passion for organization.

and of course there's having a big family (a couple of my own + adopt from orphanges around the world). i'd follow in the footsteps of my mom, who so selflessly gave of her time to every extracurricular we did...she was on every board, volunteered for everything she could, and was the official carpool queen.

BUT. even with all of those things in my heart, i really do love living in nashville. i love my community. i love my job. i love my condo.

so i think i'll be thankful for the present, for the life i do have....right where i am.