All the Good Dreams are Taken

I have  decided that I not only need a dream for the future, but a super crazy, unique, no-one-has-ever-thought-of-it-before-nor-ever-will dream.

I thought of this tonight when talking to friends of ours who had just been vacationing in upstate New York. During their vacation, they saw a couple of homes for sale, as in actually checked them out with the Realtor, and they were encouraging us to consider a 16-room home on 50 acres, which is really intended to be a bed and breakfast.

Somewhere along the way, the boy of this couple had gotten the unsubstantiated idea that I had the dream of one day running a bed and breakfast.

At this suggestion, my mind immediately flashed to the 20-some people I’d heard through the years inform me they were going to school for business and one day had the hopes of running a bed and breakfast somewhere up North. To which I always internally chuckled and had to stop myself from saying “Well, at least there will be enough rooms for all those writing students to rent when they are writing their great American novel.”

Now, to all you potential bed and breakfast owners please do not think I am knocking your dream. It is a very good dream. I can almost picture myself stocking the linen closet, signing in the newlywed couple and having long in-depth conversations with Daryl and his other brother Daryl. It’s more like a fear that one day the country — specifically New England — will become overpopulated and run down with bed and breakfasts. And just where would that leave Best Western and Holiday Inn? Scary.

I guess my point here is it seems that all the good dreams are taken and wanted by all. The bed and breakfast, the great American novel, the invention that is so simple and really takes no effort or skill to build but fills that one need and will most definitely become instantly popular, and of course that secret little thought everyone has where you’re flipping out in the middle of a McDonald’s because they forgot your large fry and there’s a Hollywood director, who happens to be buying a Big Mac at the same time and says “My God, you are what I have been looking for.” And next thing you know you’re accepting an Oscar. Wait, everyone has that dream, right?

I want a dream no one has thought of before, or at the very least, not one every person secretly yearns for.

Perhaps, I am just being lazy, not wanting to struggle against the millions, or I just really don’t know what the hell it is I want so I am picking my future the way I’d order lunch. “That looks good, but maybe it’s too much for me to handle,” or “Hmmm, I like that but I could do without that bit.”

Or, I dream too much…hmmm….possible….

In any case, I remain without a plan. Wait, maybe that’s it. A foundation for all those people just wandering through life with no real direction. Kind of like a figurative halfway house for the confused. But I guess the problem with that is I’d have to help them develop a plan, and since I seem to have a deficiency in that area it may not work out too well.

Unless, the plan is to remain confused.

Think then Vote

OK, so there’s something that’s been weighing on my mind lately.

I am a left-winger and I’m not sure that will ever change. So, clearly I know where my vote is going this fall, and so does anyone who knows me well enough. Therefore, I — as I am sure everyone else has, since it’s the topic of the hour — have frequently been getting the question of whether or not I feel Hilary Clinton supporters will now flock to John McCain’s camp.

My response has been, “No, because Hilary supporters stand for the complete opposite of what Sarah Palin does.”

Up until recently, this answer was enough to quell my internal concerns, but now I am not too sure. The thing is, I do not, and have not, looked at this race in the same way many people have. I am not voting for Barack Obama because he is black (not to imply that all others are, just to say I never once considered race in my decision) and I did not vote for Hilary in the primary. The fact that she was a woman, was not a strong enough reason to cast my vote in that direction (but make no mistake; I’m a big fan).

But it comes down to this, a lot of people, A LOT OF PEOPLE, may not be aware of all of the issues, know all the facts, and where the candidates really stand, or what they believe in, before casting their vote. Their decision may be based on what they hear in the ads, on newscasts, word of mouth, through friends or family, or simply because of the appeal of having someone of a certain race or gender in the White House. Not a surprise and certainly nothing new.

But it’s the above that makes me really scared. And oddly enough it was the much-talked-about SNL skit, featuring Tina Fey, that really cast light on this for me. Amy Polar (playing Hilary Clinton) made a reference to the McCain campaign’s constant comparisons between Palin and Clinton, and pointed out that her campaign was not about being a woman being president, but being an experienced, qualified candidate who could make a difference. No comparison to be made.

This post is not about bashing Palin or getting people not to vote for her. It’s more like an appeal to all the women out there to really take a moment to research Palin’s background and her positions. This isn’t about experience, per say, it’s more of what she believes in.  There may be many women who have the same beliefs and stances, but then again, there may be some women who just don’t know what lies below.

There’s a lot of misinformation out there, especially concerning some of the more controversial topics, like charging the costs of the rape-kits, so please take some time to really examine. (To show that I am really being impartial, I do want to caution that as of yet I have found nothing concrete on this, and all of the sources seem to have mixed information. Though, I believe it’s true. I also believe it’s not as severe or done with as much malicious intent as some indicate).

I think it’s critically important that come fall, people make an educated decision. It may not be a decision I agree with, but at least let it be a decision that you believe in. The worst thing would be hearing people say after the fact that they regret their choice because they didn’t know all the facts ahead of time. Thank you very much Bush election number one and two.

It would be fantastic to have a woman in the White House, but it would be even better if she didn’t get there just because she’s a woman.