better. me. much better

I have this - Better. Me. Much Better. - on a post-it above my desk - followed by a list of choices that, if handled correctly, will, in fact, make me a much better person. Of course, following those is the key.

The list is short but demonstrative. One that always makes a connection is this: Don't stop dreaming. 


I was once told by someone that that was my downfall; I dreamed too much. I dreamed of moments, events, things that would never possible come true, and I spent so much time dwelling on what might possibly happen that I forgot to live in the present. I guess you could say that was true. Maybe I didn't want to live in the that present.


Time has elapsed and that present is no longer here, and I'm in a much better place, but I still dream. I dream every single day. Even though, economically, things are strapped, I still linger over travel sites, search through airline flights, and pray for availability at my favorite little bungalow. I get excited when I get sale emails and I hurriedly go to the website, pick out a few favorites and then, click the 'x' in the top right hand corner. I am satisfied. Although I don't go through the official 'check out', I'm happy to have lingered awhile.

I've always said, if I didn't have the capacity to dream, I would have called it quits long ago. I believe it's an innate power given to us mere mortals to reach for those desires that are a tad beyond our reach.  Henry David Thoreau said it best: Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. The simplicity of Walden Pond gave him a power he never knew possible. Hey, that just might be the key - simplicity.

I like the much better version of myself, and that involves no stuff, no travel, no full shopping carts. That version includes peace, happiness, contentment, satisfaction, hard work, busy days, and a dash of pride in the me that I have become. Making the right choices, sticking steadfast to a goal, searching and researching a better way, and putting all the knowledge I have to work for the good. 

I am a better person because I know what it takes to make a better person. There are dreams that involve stuff and the world, but then there are dreams that take me to a higher place. Those must come as often as that morning cup of coffee. 

Finishing my novel, organizing and scheduling my day, following my doctor's orders, being beside my children when they need me, offering to help others in any way I can, and remembering how blessed I am to have found my first love in the middle of my life  - these dreams, these desires, these goals will help me live the life I have imagined.