What if I’m already living the dream?

I’ve been a big dreamer my whole life, always reaching, never fully satisfied. Thinking of ways to improve our situation, make life more efficient. Thinking of ways to earn more money, and maybe enough that my husband and I could work together full time—finally earning the flexibility to do whatever we want. Professionally, my ultimate dream was to retire my husband from a traditional job. I imagined us working on the road as we showed our homeschooled kids the world.

Then one day a few weeks ago I was working online on our back deck listening to my kids in the schoolyard behind our house playing with their public school classmates. My husband was working his traditional job from his home office in the basement. In a few minutes I would make him lunch and take it down to him so he could keep working. And it hit me, that this was a good life.

We work beside each other twice a week. We have his stable income with health insurance, and we have my entrepreneurial income with it’s potential. Could this be my dream? It’s not perfect, but it’s real, and much less stressful than what I had originally hoped for.

I thought about that time Darren got laid off and we had to move cities to find a job. We ended up renting a small house in the country a mile away from his parent’s farm. There was room to run, kittens and chickens, and a vegetable garden. We had to drive 30 minutes to a grocery store so I learned to shop once a month and maximize our time at home.   There were snakes and mice to contend with, and we were crazy in debt, $89,000! But that was the time in our lives we buckled down and paid that off. We had plenty of evening time together because the community and church activities were limited. We were living the dream then too.

Then there was that Saturday a few weeks ago, when we had 6 soccer games back to back and we spent all day on the fields. We had a big bag with a homemade lunch. And for a treat we bought a Gatorade from the Snack Shack to share with all the kids. The kids that weren’t playing cheered on their siblings and took little breaks to kick the soccer ball back and forth behind the stands. That was the dream too.

It’s real; it’s messy. There are 3 loads of wash every day and 4 dishwashers full of dishes. Even then, you might want to call first before popping by so we can shove everything in the closet and hide the rest in the stove.

I’ve been living the dream this whole time and I almost missed it. I spent so much time looking and reaching forward that I forgot to pause and look around me where I was. The view from here is a tad messy, but beautiful just the same.

How about you? Are you living the dream?

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9 thoughts on “What if I’m already living the dream?

  1. Misty Ohnemus says:

    Definitely, living the dream! I always wanted to be a wife and mom; God has totally blessed me. There are a lot of things that I never imagined, but that’s alright. Life is good!

  2. Jenny says:

    We have had lots of trauma in our lives over the past 11 years. Every day I wake up, I thank God & feel like I’m living the dream regardless of what happens during the day. I am very blessed with each day & the gift of watching my children grow.

  3. Sheila says:

    I honestly think this is possibly the best post you have ever written. 🙂 Most of us are actually living the dream.

  4. Jen says:

    We just took a mini vacation with our “current” bunch of kids or should I say “young adults” as 3 are teens. It could be our last with the graduating senior. As we passed places we’d visited before and created new memories, it dawned on me that despite hardships along the way, we have lived a good life so far. As we don’t know what the future will hold as regards to a new job for hubby and a new baby due in a month, we’ve been very blessed. It may be different than I imagined long ago, but I agree with you that we need to look around us and we may find that we’re living a dream.

  5. Christine says:

    You are living the dream, and so am I! Being grateful, thankful, and joyful to God daily for the abundance He provides opens heaven for the richest blessings. That is one thing that keeps me looking to heaven assured of miracles as I have walked these years of stage four Cancer with my Savior. Praise God for love, family, and abundant life!

    • Angela says:

      Christine, You are an inspiration to me to be thankful in all things. Whenever I start feeling sorry for myself I think about you and your family’s bravery.

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