dreaming today.

My friend Paige, phenomenal photographer, writer, musician, and pretty much anything-else-er, inspired me today with a Facebook status. She just said, "If you could do anything today, what would you do?"

It was like striking a match on the "dream" side of my brain. Of course, being the realist that I am, I started with "sit at a quiet beach and read a great book". But then, I realized. She said, "anything"...

And the wheels of my brain started turning, "Hmm. OH! I'd embark on my own Eat, Pray, Love trip! I've been rolling over ideas of where I'd go if I got the chance! See, in Liz Gilbert's book, she spends three months in three different places. Three months eating in Italy. Three months praying in India. Three months loving in Bali. All the while, writing. Observing. Participating. Musing. And writing. My immediate thought, "I want to do that!"

So, today, if I had the chance, I'd embark on my own nine month journey: "Eat" in France, "Pray" in Israel, "Love" in Ghana. Julia Child learned to cook and really eat in France, so why not! Israel holds wealth for my faith that I can't wait to see with my own eyes (and I will one day!). And for some reason, Ghana just draws me. As I've heard stories about the people there, I have always wanted to meet them. So, pull my passport out of the drawer and stuff the suitcase!

What do you have to do in life to make that happen!? A full nine months of exploring and enjoying! Well, if you're Liz Gilbert, you get a hefty advance on a surefire NY Times bestseller and take off! For the rest of us, a couple decades of planning and saving are probably in order. "POP! Hiss...." (That was the sound of the dream balloon bursting just above my curly, brunette head.)

Polk County will have to do for now. Come to think of it, I think our church may have ALL of these three elements rather fully covered...