What's YOur Dream?

I'm part of an informal group of 5 wide-open women writers. We e-mail questions, leads, and support to one another and meet about every 6 weeks for lunch. At our last ladies luncheon (sounds so 1950's, doesn't it?), one of the women posed this question to the group: "What's your dream?"

The question made me pause my fork in mid-air. She was asking about our life's dream. If we were handed the wand of God and told, "Take a wave at this over your life and do what you will," what would that look like?

I was instantly appalled and embarrassed...because I had no answer. As others around the table stated their dreams, my mind was racing. "Think of something noble," I told myself. "Think of something inspiring."  Note: It's challenging to be noble and inspiring when what your brain is really thinking behind the curtain is "Don't say anything stupid."

In the end, I admitted my lack of knowing. I know what I want my life to look like: I want to be successful and admired and fulfilled and giving. I just don't have the specifics down as to what exactly may get me there.

One friend, for example, is a storyteller. Her dream is to write and sell fiction and have millions read her work. Another woman is a writer and health counselor/advocate. Her dream is to reach out across the nation in lectures, workshops and through writing, healing the mind/body gap that denies so many people good health.

The fact that I didn't have an answer bothered me more than I cared to admit at the luncheon. I was mopey when Blair got home from work.

"What's wrong?" he asked later that night.

I sighed. "I have no dream."

"Oh," he said. "I was hoping for something more along the lines of 'there's nothing good on TV.'"

I have no overwhelming dream and yet, I have inklings toward so many dreams: I want to save all the abandoned animals in the world. I want to travel. I want to mentor young women. I want to sell books. I want to lecture. I want a beach home and a mountain home and--hey, why not--a European home. I want to run marathons. I want to help others achieve their dreams. I want it all and the sooner the better. I want to not want anything at all...

I'll end this by posing the same question to you: What's your dream?