Pemberton asks, Do you have a dream?

Most everyone has some kind of dream. Usually they are pipe dreams. You know, those things we want to accomplish, but because they are dreams, we never quite believe they will come true.

Women are especially good at having a dream, and we are pretty much open books about sharing them in detail. Men, on the other hand, are not so vocal about their dreams. I recently asked a colleague if he had a dream, and he answered, “Yeah, for this day to end.” See?

My dreams have changed over the years. Used to be, my dreams were all centered on stuff. It was all about what I would own or what I would accomplish in my career. Working as a publicist in New York, living in a big house and sailing my boat, those were all at the top of my list. But with age comes wisdom, and I’ve learned that some dreams are meant to be just that – dreams.

That big house I always wanted, I eventually owned. It was lovely. Every room was decorated to perfection. It served my family and me very well for many years. It was a great party house, and boy, did I have parties. But the reality is that a big house just means more to clean, more to maintain, more to worry about and a bigger roof to replace. And it grows to twice its size when you are suddenly walking through the rooms alone.

And my dream of working as a publicist did come true. I worked with some pretty big name entertainers and artists. But I soon learned that people are just people, no matter your name, how good you look on a movie screen or how well you sing on stage.

So my dreams have changed, and here I am. It took a bit of determination, but my dream of moving to the mountains and living life on a smaller scale and in a cooler climate finally came true. I now live in a very quaint (code for “small”) home with a yard full of flowers that I planted with my own two hands and that are home to dozens of birds and butterflies. I can still have parties, but now they overflow into my yard. I can clean it from top to bottom in an hour. I love my little house – it fits me like a garden glove.

And now I have only one more dream. And that has to do with finally turning in my work badge and retiring. Maybe it will happen, and maybe it won’t. But I can still dream.

In my retirement dream scenario, I’m not trying to prove anything to anyone and there’s nowhere I have to be. There are no alarm clocks, only sunrises. There are no deadlines, time lines or fax lines. I’ve downsized my wardrobe and signed out of Facebook. I’m no longer LinkedIn - I’m linked out.

I’m sitting in front of a fireplace instead of a computer. I can talk on the phone for hours or ignore the ring. I will go to midnight movies if I want because I can sleep in. I will dress for comfort, not style, and I will never take myself too seriously.

And I will rarely pack a suitcase because I’m already where I want to be.

Now that’s a dream to hang your hat on.

So, back to my original question - do you have a dream?