So...tell me about a day in YOUR ideal life...

For all those brave souls who took up my challenge on Friday to envision a day in your ideal life, let’s hear it!

 

I know I probably annoyed some of you by responding to your Friday posts with an insistence on thinking in terms of a day. In reality, that probably wasn’t fair because this is something I think people probably work toward in therapy over time. So in all fairness, if you can’t come up with a day in your ideal life, I hope this exercise at least serves as a starting point. I hope to return to it every now and again for new folks who join the board.

 

A couple of notes:

 

-Don’t feel like there is a length limit here. If you need to go long, go long.

-You can have as much or as little detail as you want. The choice is yours.

-This is not a writing contest. If your thoughts are stream of consciousness, so be it. If they are bullet points, so be it. If you want to do an actual hour-by-hour timeline, so be it. Approach this in the way that makes the most sense to you because…

-This is for YOU not the rest of us. If you feel inspired to read everyone else’s posts, feel free. If you don’t feel like it and simply want to post your own for posterity, that’s fine as well. There is no obligation to read or post to anyone else’s entry. You are doing this as a good thing for yourself and that’s enough for today!

 

So…what is a day like in your ideal life?

 

I’ll answer separately.

(WARNING to anyone thinking of reading this: it is LONG. I am a writer so you know I can't just do the two paragraph thing!)

My day would begin where most other people’s days begin. In bed! But in my ideal life at midnight I would have been in bed for at least two hours already. I would be sleeping soundly, breathing well, with no discomfort in my back or my hips as I currently have. I will be sleeping atop a sleep number bed. My sleep number would be 30 (if I remember correctly).

 

I’d awaken probably around 5:30. Whenever I wake up, it is shortly before the sun comes up. In my ideal life I’d live somewhere with a walking trail and I’d go for a walk as the sun rises, enjoying the quiet of a new day and the beautiful colors that only sunrise can create. After my walk, I do some yoga because that’s what I do on Fridays. The rest of the week I do other activities like Zumba, running and other things. I like to keep variety in my activity schedule.

 

After that, I’d return home and awaken my children, who would not grumble about getting out of bed (hey, this is my ideal life, right?). I’d return to my kitchen and fix us all some breakfast. Probably some sort of bacon/egg/fruit combination with juice. We’d eat together in our eat-in kitchen (in one of those corner booth dealies). Before heading off to school the girls would rinse their dishes and deposit them in the dishwasher. They’d grab the lunches I packed for them as they head out the door to catch the school bus.

 

Once they are off to school, I’d head to my den and spend the morning pouring over the project outline for Bariatric Foodie’s latest book, a WLS travel guide to Italy. As I’m doing this I’m also double checking flight arrangements and itinerary for the research trip the divas, my mom and I would be taking to gather content for the book. As I’m looking this all over, I get an IM from Pam, who is up to her neck in design projects through her brand spanking new graphic design firm and wants to remind me of the photo format in which she’d need the cover shots for this new book.

 

At about 10 a.m. I’d stop so that I could have a quick meeting with my webmaster. Traffic on Bariatric Foodie has gotten particularly high and she recommends switching platforms to handle the traffic. Also on the call would be my marketing consultant, who wants to discuss some companies who want to advertise on my site. We have a lively brainstorming discussion that ends with my webmaster committing to researching a few web platform options and my marketing person knowing how to respond to the potential advertisers.

 

Noontime! My mom shows up to have a lunch meeting with me. She handles the Pouch Party end of things and today we’re going to discuss the latest “Pouch Party in a box" offerings that we plan to market to East Coast support groups. We depart from my house in my hybrid car and head to a local café that has a nice outdoor eating area with good views. When we sit down she presses a spreadsheet toward me. It’s the sales numbers from the launch of Pouch Party in a box. As I look them over I sip on a water with lemon and I feel happy because the concept of giving people a toolkit to have their own Pouch Party is SO much more profitable than trying to do them myself. In fact, the success in those sales is what made it possible for me to focus on Pouch Party/Bariatric Foodie exclusively and leave my day job.

 

We both order chicken salads for lunch. My mom orders some low-cal balsamic vinaigrette with hers. Her diabetes is doing much better these days. She tells me, as we wait for our food, about how she loves her latest aqua aerobics class and how she’s planning a weekend trip with a few of the ladies she met there. I ask about my stepdad and she says he’s doing well. She says his Gamblers Anonymous meeting got consolidated with another small local meeting and he’s grumbling about that but he’s keeping at it. In the meantime, she’s happy to be working with me on Pouch Party so they can keep paying their way out of debt.

 

After lunch I do a round of net surfing, mostly for reviews of Bariatric Foodie’s last book, a Survival Guide to the Holidays recipe book. I find a few: some positive, others not so much. I check in on OH and Facebook. Then I head to the kitchen.

 

I’ve got a lot to accomplish in the kitchen. I need to test out a few recipes that need to go up on the website but I’m also giving a dinner party. I’m setting up a healthy burger bar that will include fixings for Southwest burgers, chili burgers, Thai burgers and a few other kinds, so I’ve got lots of prep work to do. I turn on my small LCD TV that’s mounted on a wall across from the island where I’m chopping veggies. I switch it to Food Network and watch 30 Minute Meals as I wor****ep at this until about four o’clock when the girls arrive back home from school. By this time, I’ve tested out my recipe, which is cooling and have pre-made burger patties for the grill and prepped all the fixings.

 

When the girls come in I yell to them to straighten up the common areas of the house and for Zariyah to clean the downstairs bathroom. They do grumble a bit but go off to do it. In the meantime, I go into my backyard and inspect the premises. My vegetable garden is doing well. I can see little green Roma tomatoes dangling from the tomato plants and my basil is coming in like a champ. There are a few stray leaves on my patio furniture so I brush them away and sweep the surrounding concrete. I set the table with my outdoor dishware and head back into the house.

 

In the master bedroom suite, I shower and change into a leisurely pants set and brush my hair into a ponytail. The hair would be all mine. No artificial. Because I found a doctor with a real solution to my alopecia and was able to reverse my extensive hair loss.

 

At six-thirty my dinner guests arrive: my good friend Lee, another few local OH friends, one single guy from my church and a single lady from the gym who, unbeknownst to them, are being set up to like one another. The divas have showered and changed and are warm to our guests as I set out the burger bar fixings. One of my OH friends and his wife are grill masters, so I let them fire up my gas grill, which is a beautifully constructed grill set into stone in my back yard, so that I can focus on other things.

 

Around the dinner table we all laugh and talk. Folks ask me about my work with Bariatric Foodie. My OH friends ask me if I will need help manning my OH vendor booth at any of the events. We talk, in turn, about each of our lives. It’s a light and happy time. As the sun begins to set, I turn on the outdoor lighting and turn on some music and encourage everyone to dance. To inspire everyone, I set my MP3 player to the 80’s playlist and encourage folks to show us how they moved “back in the day."

 

The last of my guests leaves at about 11 p.m. after having helped me clean up. The girls retreat to their respective rooms to do whatever it is that tweens do when their parents have told them to settle down for the night. I have a plan of my own.

 

I run a hot bubble bath and add some lavender oil. I slip into it and soak for about an hour, until the water turns cold. I get out and put on my pajamas and flop down into my soft bed with lots of fluffy pillows. No sooner than my head hits the pillow, I am in a deep restful sleep.

When my eyes are open, I  say thank you lord for another morning each and every day in health or sick, in great and in not so great conditions. I open my bedroom balcony curtains and doors and head to my bathroom. I get myself together showering,make-up,hair,body spray etc.
Check on my children and thank the Lord they were given another day of life. (school was in session) My 2 oldest get dressed and they say"mommy we're leaving". I look at them and say have a good day at school and continue to stay focused. I know when my son is getting ready to leave......the Axe body spray.lol. smells good.I wake my youngest about 20 miniutes later with a big squeeze(she doe'nt like that early in the morning). She's leaving and I get my kiss and tell her to keep up the work and stay focused.
I am on my way to physical therapy. After PT, I return home and try to sleep off the pain meds. I read,watch a little TV and prepare dinner early as the pain meds have me out of it the entire day. The kids are home and they are out the door with friends. We have dinner between 5-6 pm regularly but since school's out, it's whatever time they choose as long as it's before 9pm. The chores are done and I settle down for bed. I thank the lord for allowing me and my children to see a full day and that no hurt or harm have been done to us.
Before my surgery, I would be at work between 8-10 am and leave around 6 pm. My dinners were cooked the day before and all they had to do was re-heat in the microwave.
(OT) I have a unique personality...not a cookie cutter type of person,never have been and figured that out around the age of 13. Whatever I asked for, I typically got it. I like to joke around from time to time with my children and have tons of fun. I miss riding motorcycles and swiming as of now due to my knee surgery. Won't attempt this year,will pick up next year. I like fast cars,amusement park rides that take your breath(no sucker rides for me) and shooooooooooooes! I love to help others and thank the lord that I am not a selfish person.
Have a wonderful and blessed day all.

 So.... my ideal day..... I'd wake up rested WITHOUT Ambien because my insomnia would finally be gone. I'd look over at my husband and remember how grateful I am to have someone to share my life with. My cats would wait until 7am before jumping into the bed to wake us up. I'd get ready to take my husband to work - to a fullfilling but low-stress job that he loves - and return home to exercise for at least an hour, possibly a brisk run for 3 miles with an OH friend. I'd get ready to see clients around 11a and have at least 4 scheduled back to back for only 4 days per week. I wouldn't need to check my bank accout at the end of the day, because the insurance companies would have paid me an appropriate amount via direct deposit, without me having to fight them. Then I'd go directly to pick my husband up from work, where he reports a great day,  and we'd return home to prepare a healthy dinner together. 
Some parts of that 'ideal" are on their way to attainable. Some are just never gonna happen (the insurance companies part). 

Your ideal day sounds wonderful :)

I did think about this over the weekend. After reading yours, Some of our perfect day is similar :)

First I'd wake up well rested next to a wonderful man who totally adores me, respects me, loves me unconditionally and treats me like a princess (yeah, it is a dream ha ha). He is responsible for paying all the bills and doing the crappy business stuff and I dont have to worry about him screwing it up, or trying to screw me over.

Id be able to hear the sounds of the ocean cause the windows to my beach house would be open. Get up, make coffee and go sit on the patio and stare at the beach for a little while after I feed my fur babies and sit under my palm trees.

I guess I should get in some exercise. My fantasy man would participate.  I choose Tai Chi, cause I hate aerobics, then walk down the beach. Maybe take a little swim.

Have breakfast, most likely Greek yogurt w/ cereal and fruit. Then kiss my man good bye as he goes off to work. He wont be gone all day, he just has to take care of a few things.

Then my beauty people would show up. Id get a facial cause they are the most wonderful, relaxing things ever, then a mani/pedi.

Then I guess I'd have to do a little work. I'd be approving photos of my dishes for my gourmet made healthy cookbook.

I have family and friends coming for a dinner party, so I have to get up and start preparing my patio and cooking in my outdoor kitchen. Plug in my iPod to my outdoor sound system and get to work.  Hmmm, going to serve....simple caprese salad, rosemary grilled lamb chops, couscous with leeks and almonds, grilled asparagus, grilled shrimp wrapped in proscuitto (yeah, I like to grill and its easy clean up) I could go on and on with the food...

I'd light up my patio with small white lights and paper lanterns and open the bar. Greet my guests. Everyone is getting along. Great conversations and laughter. Everyone is having a wonderful time.

I have a great big round table out on the patio. We all fit. I like a round table cause everyone can see eachother. The table has one of those huge lazy susans in the middle.

After dinner a few of the guests, my oldest and dearest friends, stay over cause they know I'll make them a great big breakfast and they are having too much fun to leave (plus, knowing them, they drank too much!)

The cleaning fairy takes care of all the clean up work.

Then I get to go to bed with my wonderful fantasy man...

Izz I invited to the party?

Cuz I wanna come!!!

ABSOLUTELY!! Divas too! You can even spend the night :)

YAY! Well then in my ideal life I’d pack my bikini. (Not only because I made it to goal but also because my business ventures afforded me the opportunity to get all this damn skin removed!)

I thought about this a whole lot this weekend.  It's so very hard for me, because my ideal life would mean my daughter would still be alive.  She was four when she passed away on 5/5/05.  But, I think your idea is to post doable things, or things I can actually work toward.

It's all about love for me.  I have wanted someone to love and be loved by all my life, and I've failed (miserably) at it numerous times.

Ideally, I feel I have a great job.  I can't think of anything I'd rather do.  I just want someone to share it all with. 

So, my ideal day would be (corny as is will sound): I'd wake up next to the love of my life.  We'd laugh and tease and joke getting ready for work.  I'd be off to work after a sweet send-off kiss from him.

Through the day, I'd get a text or email just saying "hi"...from my love...

After work, we'd end up back at home for dinner and probably a walk or swim together after dinner.

Weekends only difference is we wouldn't work and we'd either cuddle or go out to do some fun activity.



Reading this sounds so silly to me.  It's the thing I want most in my life, and it alludes me....