Dreaming

Each time we travel, I want to move.

When we were in Paris, I imagined myself (chicly dressed, of course) walking down the street eating croissants. And smoking a lot. How else can the women stay so thin when they eat croissants? Chris and I would have a tiny apartment in the Latin Quarter, and we would always keep our windows open. The breeze would blow our curtains and we would catch glimpses now and then of the charming street performers.

In Playa del Carmen, I wanted a little house by the beach. I could walk barefoot in town, and my hair would be perfectly messy from the salty ocean. We would learn to scuba dive and be perpetually tan.

In New York, I wanted to hurry along dressed in black and wearing shoes that hurt my feet. Chris and I would live in an apartment by Central Park, and I would write a novel. I would never eat, but I would drink at all the trendy clubs.

In Tuscany, I wanted to buy an old villa and renovate it. We could open a bed and breakfast and a little restaurant that serves dinner. We would learn how to cook fabulous food and get a big dog to roam the property with us. We would speak Italian with ease and drink lots of espresso. I would buy some of those pants Italian women have that make your butt look great.

In Venice I dreamed about living in one of the palaces on the Grand Canal. I would take the vaporetti to the fancy little shop I own that sells treasures from Murano. I would learn to like their unusual seafood dishes and Chris and I would drink Chianti Classico in Piazza San Marco once a week. I would buy oranges from outdoor markets to remember my grandparents.

This past week, I loved the slow pace and beauty of Marysville, Ohio. It's a farming community, but there is something quaint in the thought of living there. Evie could grow up with down-to-Earth, good Christian people. We would plant a garden and can fruit from the trees in our backyard. Evie could raise bunnies to show at the county fair. Chris and I would drink sweet tea on our big porch in the summer. I would join the Ladies Quilting Group at church.

I love these dreams, but I'm always happy to pull up into my own driveway when we get home. It's a relief to see my home, and to just be myself.