Story Weekend: Six Months to Do Whatever You Want
This is pure fantasy, but if you didn’t have to worry about money or losing a job, how would you spend the next six months? It’s hard to free our brains that much from the constraints of our current lives, but I think this exercise can get to our real passions. I look forward to hearing your dreams!
If you’re new to Story Weekend, here’s how it works: I pick a theme and you share something from your life that relates to that theme, however you interpret it. Thanks to all of you who’ve been contributing. As always, there are a few “rules”:
▪ The story must be true
▪ Try to keep it under 100 words. Embrace the challenge! That’s about six or seven lines in the comment form. I want others to read your story, and most people tend to skip if it’s too long. I know how tough it is to “write tight” but I hope you’ll accept this as a challenge.
Dream on!
What an easy question Diane, of course I would spend ny six months on Topsail Island, nothing could be finer than spending it there. I have often dreamed about this and can picture it clearly in ny mind. Soaking up rays, reading your current book and dining out at all the great restaurants on the island, pure heaven !
that sounds delightful. how fun and relaxing!
I would progress with adoption plans, without the worry of being able to afford full-time childcare. To have the ability to dedicate a whole 6 months to get to know my adopted child, ensuring that tney are settled and happy before I need to go back to work again.
I wish you could have the six months, Sarah! Good luck.
Sarah that is wonderful! We are going through the fostering process (foster to adopt) and I was thinking the same thing. Good luck to you!!
I think it’s hard for anyone to really think what the next 6 months would be. I just did 6 months of nothing and I can’t believe it’s september already. If I had 6 months to do nothing i wouldn’t have to worry about money and appointments, I’d probably be wanting to travel to Europe. But it takes time to get the right documents and stuff. It’s actually hard to imagine the next 6 months. In reality that will still mean appoitments, and worrying about the little things. It’s hard not to worry.
This is hard to answer mainly because I’ve been doing what I want for the last 15 years. No, I did not win the lottery. I retired early from AT&T. No, I’m not independently wealthy. I live from pension check to pension check. Deciding to retire was my very own declaration of independence. If I need a job I find one that feeds my soul as well as my body. If I want to go someplace I carefully weigh the costs. I don’t worry about losing a job, I occasionally worry about money but I don’t think more money could buy me any more happiness than I have now.
By the way…I absolute love these story weekends. The challenge to edit myself to 100 words is helping to hone my self editing skills.
I agree! These are so fun!
As my job is about helping souls to die with dignity,It has taken a a piece of my heart. I have dedicated a huge portion of my life to music. For me it is poetry given a tune with which to sing.Words holding hands I say. Have worked hard for years as a music promotor, bio writer, magazine reviewer, festival emcee, Cheering section and song lyrisist for Canadian bands and have met and friended the most amazing, giving people my country has to give and I am blessed to even be in their great company. So six months, guilt free would find me travelling coast to coast in Canada, popping into clubs and pubs and venues and listening to the magic that the words of their songs would take me on. Then I woud stay for the all important after show gig where jammin has nothing to do with toast:} and I would set my soul free on the wonder of their amazing talent and I would be healed. Friends I have never met. Ah, just to hug them and say You’re awesome. That would be the essence of pure joy for me.
I would do a “getaway” and concentrate on finishing a book of family stories. I’ve been writing, then sharing with my writers’ group, using their critique to edit, and am a little over a year late with my original goal for publication. I have completed all the material but can’t seem to concentrate on its organization. That’s where the solitude is needed. The book will contain stories, a bit of family lore and genealogy, and poetry. Diane how do you manage, especially with deadlines? I’m self-publishing and the publisher is a friend to our writers’ group; patience is one of his virtues. Selecting photos is also proving to be a daunting task. “Calgon, take me away.”
I think that six months away from the husband of 34 years that I love would give him time to reflect and consider what our life together means to him and why I am not satisfied with just being “friends”. He would be able to really determine if the love he says he has for me is true and possibly determine why he hides it deep inside. For years we have shared a life conmitted to long work days, our friendship and our children only to find that our love for each other shuts down. Anger, hurt and tears follow time and time again and we forgive each other, make-up and start over only repeat the cycle again and again. On the other hand, maybe he could be part of this “Dream” and that six months could be spent together renewing and recreating the love we have for each other…of course, on Topsail Island!
Gillian, I wish I had the power to give you both a healing six months. Good luck.
I would try all the other paths – run up and down roads not taken. No rather, I would cartwheel down them, skip rope back, twirl around and try again! I’d travel the world. Learn to surf. Volunteer at an orphanage in a struggling country. I’d live in an igloo, sleep on the beach, help others. I would read, absorb, relish in books. I would meet all sorts of people. I’d change the world. I would laugh and live and love completely. I’ve lived a serious, structured and hard working life. If I had six months, I would play!
I hope you get the chance, Heather. the world needs you!
A little late with my guilt free 6 month do what I want to Dream. I would fly. I would fly in a plane, a large one, a small one, a supersonic stealth jet..or what ever they are called. I would fly in a hot air balloon… I would Hang Glide off the side of a Cliff. And if it is a real dream..I would just jump as high as I could and take off, sort of like Superman. I would fly so fast that I would travel through time and go back to the different eras that I want to live in. To be the Heroine in some of my favorite books. And when I got back to real life, before my 6 months were up….I think I would love to go to Maine and travel the eastern coastline as far as it goes. And if I still had time, I would start in California and travel the western coastline as far north as it goes. The End.
Another lover of flight! How about a blimp? I’ll join you.
I would travel to New York to visit my brother and shop at the fabric stores and Stands book store.
I would also travel to England and Belize because I haven’t been there before.