My 5 Other Lives

I recently bought a book that was suggested by my online class instructor. It’s a book to help you increase your creativity. I was reading the first chapter last night, as I was eating my freshly prepared gourmet dinner (a bowl of Cheerios). One of the exercises was to imagine that you had 5 other lives to lead. You were supposed to think about what you would do in each of those lives. What would you want to be?

This was so easy for me. Without much pondering, I quickly jotted down what I would do with my five other lives. Here’s my list:

1. I would like to be an Interior Designer and shop and decorate all day long.
2. I would like to be an Architect because I truly love it.
3. I always said in my next life I want to be a Dancer.
4. Now-a-days nothing thrills me more than the thought of being a Writer. Staying home all day, making my own schedule, just being creative and making a living at it.
5. Which leads me to my next, and most desired life, of being independently wealthy. Wouldn’t it be nice to just live off the riches of your family, travel the world without any cares or worries?

Hmmm, I’m seeing a trend here. I went from a couple real jobs that require real work, all the way down to a bum – a rich bum, but a bum none-the-less. I think I ordered those wrong. They increase in desirability as you go down the list.

The next thing the book told me to do was think about how I can achieve pieces of these lives in my real life. For instance, they gave the example of if you wanted to be a cowgirl (I’m sure that’s a common one) then perhaps you should take horseback riding lessons.

So in looking back at my list I have to say, I have done an amazing job of incorporating my fantasy lives into my real life. Let’s see:

1. I spent a year taking an interior design course and even got a certificate that says I’m a real one!
2. I spent the last couple of years designing our dream home (which we, of course, never built). I did however design our new laundry/bath room and had the satisfaction of seeing it completed. Loved every minute of it.
3. I have taken several dance lessons (from hip hop to ballroom) over the past 10 years and even performed in a recital.
4. I’m currently taking a writing course to pursue my dream of writing a book.
5. And despite not being wealthy, I’ve made my way around lots of parts of the world.

Gee wiz. Maybe I should have written the book I’m reading. Now it's your turn. What would you do with your other lives?