Amazingly lucky

[jonobie]

I realized a few weeks ago that something amazing had happened.

With one notable exception, pretty much every sentence that I had growing up that began with "I've always wished I could..." has been done or is in-progress. Not that I don't have new dreams popping up all the time, but it's pretty cool to reflect back and realize how lucky I've been for where I am in life.

Some (non-exhaustive) examples:

• "I've always wished I could travel Europe with one of my college buddies." Done, spent time with Camille in London in an absolutely fabulous trip.
  
• "I've always wished I could learn to draw." Not done yet, but registered for a Drawing 101 class this summer at a local community college.
  
• "I always wished I could go somewhere fabulous on vacation with a lover." Done, Jeff and I went to Lisbon when we lived in Austin, he took me to Hawaii a couple of years ago, and we're planning to go to the upcoming Winter Olympic Games.
  
• "I've always wished I could find something related to Computer Science that wasn't coding that I could make a living at." Done, I love my job as a Content Publishing Manager at Microsoft. (It's telling that unlike some years past, I can no longer think of jobs I'd rather be doing.)
  
• "I've always wished I could have cats of my own." Easily done, once I was out of college.
  
• "I've always wished I could have painted walls." Done, now that Jeff and I have painted our bedroom, bathroom & living room.
  
• "I've always wished I could go on a yoga retreat." Done, went to Yelapa, Mexico a few years ago. By myself, which was a huge confidence-builder. Fantastic trip.
  
• "I've always wished I could leave near a really cool city where public transportation was readily available." Done, Seattle is fun and easily accessible by bus from where I live. (OK, I think the original version of this required a subway and me living in a downtown condo, but I've mostly gotten over that.)

The one exception? I always wished I could go into space. Maybe someday there will be space tourism for more than the super-fantastically wealthy.