My 5 lives

Today Rachel Jones was the quest blogger over at Design Mom and she wrote a post that really interested me, and it's been something I've been thinking about for quite a while.

So often I've heard that you should always strive to achieve your dreams. That you should always be working toward your ultimate goal, to fulfill your dreams.

This has always made me a little uncomfortable. Why? Because I've never had an ultimate "dream" to achieve. I've never been the kind of person who has one ultimate dream that is so definable and focused that they can say in one sentence what they dream of being. If you do, you're lucky.

I have lots of dreams and lots of things I love, but because I don't have a single aim the charge to "live my dream" has always made me feel...kind of...well...bad.

Which is where Rachel's' post comes to play. She suggests that you write down what you would do if you had 5 different lives. Then you should look at the list and make sure that you are actively pursing elements of the 5 lives in the 1 life that you have to live. This idea appeals to me like you wouldn't believe. It seems so simple, clear and totally do-able....but then most good ideas are that way.

So here, in no particular order are my 5 different lives and how I'm living them all at the same time.

1 chef I love cooking. I love it so much I surprise myself sometimes. My favorite part of every week is sitting down and making out a weekly menu for the ear doctor and I. I sit in the middle of our living room surrounded by my favorite cook books and think of a weeks worth of meals. I like to vary the protein, the style, the origin and the ingredients all week long. I find a thrill in the challenge of creating variety, trying new foods and cooking techniques while also using similar ingredients so that we don't waste things or throw any excess away.

2 landscaper Sometimes as I'm coming into work I see the grounds maintenance people at our office and I get jealous of their job. There are very few things in life that bring as me as much pleasure as a well designed garden. Seriously, just walking around an old established garden is sheer delight. Whenever the ear doctor and I go on walks through neighborhoods we critique the houses and I critique the landscaping. I love getting up early and weeding a garden. Going to a nursery and picking out the perfect plant for a spot in a garden is a personal treat. Right now, since we don't have a yard I have plants inside. I grow my own herbs (a must for someone who really loves cooking) and I have a little cherry tomato plant.

3 Interior Designer Every year the ear doctor and I go to the parade of homes. And when I say we "go" to the show, I mean we set aside hours so that we can slowly, methodically take in each space. I love to notice the details of each house, which hardwood the designer chose to go with, which shade of paint looks better at which time of the day. I love it. Sometimes I think the ear doctor gets a little bored by my molasses pace of walking through these houses. Right now this is probably the area that I am the least active in. It's hard (for me) to design my apartment space. I want to paint walls, change out flooring, get a freakin backsplash of little square tiles in my kitchen but I can't because it isn't mine. As a stand in for the time being we watch a lot of HGTV.

4 Book Store Owner The smell of a new book is intoxicating. I've always loved books. When I was in elementary school and we'd get the book order form I'd excitedly go page by page through it and circle about 20 books that I wanted my parents to order for me. I've always loved reading. I'm lucky to have a mom who is as much a book lover as myself. I don't think we ever left a Waldenbook without a heavy sack of new books tangling from our arms. Now I go book stores and just wander around for fun. I read whenever I have the chance. Almost every night I'll leave the ear doctor alone on the couch so I can curl up with a book. Some of my best friends are my friends because of our shared literary love.

5 Talk Show Host Except, I'd love to be a little different than your average talk show host. I'd love to interview "normal" people. I love meeting people and getting to know them. I love finding out their stories. I'm not really good at talking about myself, but I love to hear about other people. I mean, sure, probably no one would watch my show if I didn't have George Clooney as a guest, but I think it's a neat idea. In my current life I love to get to know people. That's a major reason that I read blogs...to meet new people and get to see a little picture of their life. I figure that as a talk show host I could potentially get paid to do it.

So there are my 5 different lives.

What would yours be?