Dreaming Impossible Dreams

Well, I did it. I followed my very first Mondo Beyondo dream.

A Mondo Beyondo list is a list of outrageous dreams – the ones you would love to have happen if only they were possible. Dreams like, say, meeting the Queen or opening a B&B in Spain or kissing a crocodile. Crazy, wonderful, daring, lovely dreams.

For some reason, at the top of my list, I wrote the words VISIT A TROPICAL ISLAND. It didn’t surprise me that I wrote these words since I’d already been joking about it for about two years. (I want sun! beach! and papaya! was my usual refrain.) What surprised me was that I considered it a Mondo Beyondo dream.

The thing is, I sort of pride myself on having a spirit of adventure. I have lived in remote areas of the world, eaten new foods, spoken new languages. Wasn’t visiting a tropical island too…easy? Plus, wasn’t traveling somewhere for fun a silly thing to do now that I have a baby? Shouldn’t I be saving money for his college education or doing something…responsible?

In the end, after staring at the top of my Mondo Beyondo list for weeks, I did it anyway. I announced to all known faces that I was going to Hawaii.

And guess what happened? People started emailing me with great information about flight deals, places to stay and websites to visit. And even better, the people who I thought would be most resistant to the idea decided to join me. Suddenly, what I had considered a silly and impractical idea was turning out just fine.

Added to the fun was the fact that I got the chance to travel with my mom again. She is in her late 70s and for the last few years, has said that she would no longer travel. But when I mentioned this trip, she lit up and said YES immediately. A trip with my mom, which I thought was no longer possible, was a very special gift.

And the trip was fabulous.

What I learned from all this dreaming was that I have a little voice inside my head that often tells me what I should and shouldn’t do, and that this should-gal probably isn’t the best gauge of what I actually want and need. I also learned that it’s okay to think that dreams are silly, or even hilarious, and do them anyway.

My Mondo Beyondo list is several pages long, written at the top of my head over a 20-minute period. I will play with paint on canvas. I will cook with wild abandon. I will be kinder. I will be wiser. I will be proud of what I do professionally. I will have a dog. I am sure that some of the dreams on my list will resonate for a lifetime and others will fall away. I am also sure that following this one dream has opened the door – and my courage – to following the next one, and the next.

This week’s one nice thing is dedicated to dreaming impossible dreams.

(Even kissing a crocodile, which can be done here.)

Tell me, what are your Mondo Beyondo dreams?

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