Postcards from Paris

Imagine for a moment, that you could do anything. Go anywhere. Be anyone. What wonders await you if only in your imagination? This is a practice I have enjoyed routinely since childhood. And what I have imagined for myself has not changed all that much from the dreams of my youth.  Perhaps the details have varied slightly. And since I have already gone down certain roads sooner than others and saw that picture up close, I have honestly rearranged the order of things in my mind.

But by and large, the imaginings of my childhood remain very much intact to this day.  Sure there have been times where I nearly abandoned them.  Life is too hard. Life has a way of shaking up the most absolute truths and delivering them with a twist.  This isn't what I ordered... This glass is half empty... or spilling over. It's not balanced.  And the sparkly visions get cloudy, muddled and dirty.  

But if you come back to those dreams and away from the harshness that life can often serve... then you still have a chance at them. That's the way I see it. There is a saying that "You know you have reached maturity when your memories become more important than your dreams."  

If when you close your eyes, you imagine your life full of possibility, living out your wildest dreams... then congratulations; you still have a shot at making them come true.  So maybe I am not able to let go of my dreams just yet.  And why should I? Even though the dreams I have... are really big ones.  They are what I hold to, work for, and see so vividly when I close my eyes. There is still time. 

This morning, I saw the most wonderful pictures from Paris. My best friend of fifteen years is there on business.  She is a model. And today, I imagine the rush of excitement and accomplishment she must feel to have reached this tremendous success. 

When we were just teenagers, we would dress up and take pictures. It was like a dress rehearsal for what would become her reality.  I see how hard she has worked to attain and maintain her dream of modeling as a career. The road has been a long one. But today, only a year and a half after having a baby, my best friend has taken her career to Paris.  And I could not be more inspired. I am not envious of her path; with us it's just not like that.  It is simply that her journey is a reminder to me to keep going. She inspires me to never give up on what may have seemed, a silly childhood dream. 

Maybe I am still a ways away from reaching my own version of her Paris. Sometimes, I wonder if I will ever achieve the satisfaction of merely doing what I love as my career.  To get up in the morning and know that I was going to call "Action."  Even the thought of it excites me so much I can hardly sit still. 

I am a story teller. In every sense of the word. I am fascinated and in love with the process of story telling. And one day, I hope every aspect of my daily work serves that aim. Until then, I am serving my time to serve the dream. Bon Chance! 

Today's Cocktail is for Laurenne...

Kir Royale:

Champagne

.25 oz Chambord 

Or may substitute Creme de Cassis.  Garnish with a twist.