Livin' the dream

"Living the dream" is a funny expression that people say wistfully (and don't seem to believe is possible). A woman said I was living the dream by being a full-time writer, and a friend told us we were about to live the dream and doing what academics should be doing when we told him our post-graduation plans.

I believe we can all live our dream life-- we just have to make choices that are in line with the lives we want to lead. And that can mean giving up higher pay and prestige, but you get freedom in return. (Hard work and luck help, too.)

So, on to the good news. My partner and I somehow got everything we wished for: he got the tenure-track professorship at a respected university in California, AND we get a year to backpack around the world. I'm still screaming whee and dancing around and waiting to wake up. But no, it's real, and we can't wait to start planning.

To be clear, we aren't just going to be lying on beaches and traipsing from one UNESCO world heritage site to another. We'll go to places where my partner can do field research that relates to his work, and I'll be keeping a journal of our travels and hopefully working on my third novel. (Maybe our travels will be the foundation for the third novel. Two birds + one stone = awesome. And this is assuming I finish my second novel by this summer.)

So, I share our good news in the hope that it will inspire you to think big and get what you really want, too. Because yes, the economy isn't so hot, the job market is tough, and traveling takes money and planning. But it is definitely all doable. So, why not me? Why not you? I am a firm believer in 'Everything is possible.' So, what's your dream life? How can you make it happen?

Have fun!