Fantasies...What Are Yours?

Okay, this is a clean post, I promise. Have you ever been driving along, perhaps hauling your cherubs up to school, and suddenly realize you took the wrong exit, or worse, you have no idea how you got from your house to the school? For me, it's usually because I was daydreaming...playing those fabulous fantasy flicks in my head. A little scary considering my sweeties are in the back seat and who knows if I stayed on the road!

So, I have a few fantasies that play over and over on that screen that flickers behind my eyeballs:

1. The Big Book Deal--Yes, like all aspiring, and established, writers, I often lose myself in thoughts of that perfect book deal that gives me a huge advance, lots of good editorial support, and supreme marketing. Okay, throw in a Newbery or a Printz, too! Well, let's just fill the pot and dream about the whole career!

2. Finally having that perfect writing room--The little room upstairs, lit by at least one hearty bank of windows. Of course there's plenty of room for bookshelves on the other three walls, and a comfy reading chair or couch as well as that perfectly molded desk chair pulled up to the exquisite cherry desk cut to just the right height for my short little bod. A door--that I can actually close and keep the cherubs out when Mama needs to work with her other muses. We'll add a little wall space for my favorite treasures, like my Irish National Championship ribbons from my equestrian days (though they're not over yet!).

3. Speaking of my equestrian days, since I had to sell my horse 6 years ago (and my farm and everything else), I dream about having that little 2 or 3-stall barn set on 5-10 acres, a sturdy hunter for me and a solid little pony for the kids (yes, I had that once and it's gone :-( ) Somedays I can still smell horse hair and sawdust. Oh how I miss it!

4. A time when my kids can attend the school they need and enough financial security to make it possible and comfortable. I don't need to be rich, just not scraping all the time.

5. Health--I try to remember what it felt like when I didn't have RA. What it's like to actually have the energy to make it through the day and do things that normal people do. Don't get me wrong, for the most part I am lucky enough to function fairly normally and without pain, but the fatigue is a killer. Thank heavens my fingers work--keep typing those YAs, gals! Mama needs a horse!

So, those are my most pressing daydreams that sometimes put everyone on Highway 286 at peril and have taught my children the fine art of yelling, "Mama! Mama! Did you hear me?", not to mention daily bouts of amnesia. "Did I really get off the highway 3 exits early?" Hm!