My Dream

When I think about my future I think only of where I'm going next. Paris, France? Amsterdam, The Netherlands? Or maybe somewhere closer to home such as New Zealand. Traveling the world is all I've ever considered doing. Full-time job? No thanks. Settled down with a family? Seems a bit too stable.

Like my parents always tell me "Honey, follow your dreams." Then the next time I plan a trip they say "Why do you insist on going on a trip when your family is already here." Yet when I tell them my dream and why traveling is essential to completing it, they fail to understand and I receive encouragement into creating a new dream closer to home.

That's just the way this town works though. The community is so close, so tight, that everyone is obsessed with staying here and living out their entire lives never leaving it. Their all slaves to this town. Competing in every town competition, performing in every day of celebration, going to every community event and every person gathered at the church on Sundays without fail. Sometimes it feels like a cult with how much they preach their love for this place. Unfortunately, I have become an outcast for my dream of leaving and my distaste for town events is an outrage.

Despite the town's logo of 'We Accept Everyone With Open Arms' it seems ironic that my simple dream does not place me in the same boat as this "everyone". Even my best friend from high school doesn't understand, however, she doesn't shun me as does everyone else and I appreciate her for that. A stroll through the market can silence the whole town when their eyes land on me. It can be quite entertaining actually, finding comic relief in other's distaste for me is the only way to deal with the disappointed looks.

That stroll was what made me consider another trip, as I had planned to stay a little longer and spend time with my nagging parents, however, the feeling of being uncomfortable was sending me far away once again. So without a second thought, I was back at home on my laptop planning out a trip that will surely make my days just that much better.

A few weeks later and I was packed and ready for my trip. Saying goodbye to my parents was always difficult as they tried to convince me to make this my final trip while I tried to escape them as quickly as possible. The taxi sat out front ready to bring me to the next town over where an airport exists to fly me far away. The flight was long, almost 30 hours altogether and the stopover was not enough time to rejuvenate for the next flight. Snacks, a fluffy blanket, and my music loudly playing in my ears I made it through and landed safely into a country I had never been before.

In a daze of excitement, I walked around everywhere. Using a map from the airport to navigate my way around and find every famous building or store that I knew existed. Luckily I had landed in the morning and I was able to get a lot done before needing to get to my hotel for the night. By the next morning, I was refreshed and ready and had everything I needed for a full day of sightseeing.

There were surprisingly a lot of people who knew English and understood what I was asking when I ended up lost and stuck in the middle of nowhere. Because of this, I was able to find exactly what I had come here for, the dream that was important to me but lost on everyone else I knew.

Sitting outside this small café that had a view of the Eiffel Tower in the distance and the bustle of people walking past constantly I relaxed and took in the beautiful view. Most of the people passing by seemed to be either business-related or tourists, both different types of people having in common the general purpose in their steps. It was in the afternoon and the dark was slowly creeping up to blanket the city. As darkness fell the Eiffel Tower's lights came to life and it was more beautiful than anything I'd ever seen.

With a loss for words, I picked up the plate that had been placed onto my table and silently dug into a piece of delicious chocolate cake as I observed the view. When the cake had been consumed I looked down towards my notepad and ticked off France on my dream list. The list boldly titled 'Eating Chocolate Cake in Every Country.'