Living your lifes dream....Have you? Are you? Will you?......

oompa

I subscribed to Cruising World magazine for over 20 years. Many people or couples wrote their stories about either their life aboard a sailing yacht, or their time they put mainland life on hold for a year or more and lived their dream of cruising on an sailing yacht. This became my dream, and I have sailed extensively since age 13. I also loved photography, and that goes real well with sailing exploration, and life aboard among the islands.

My first JW wife liked that dream too, my second JW wife does NOT! She will not even try for six months, much less a year. I explained to her how my lifelong dream was kept only a dream, by knowing that while I could not really stop the meetings and field service and live this dream, I would be able to do this forever in the good ol paradise.

I no longer believe in the good ol paradise, and feel that my 50's are my very best chance at doing this before I start crappin myself and need to be spoon fed again.....yum. Never really thought about that since I would NEVER make it out of High School before THE END came (good old class on 1979!)

Share your dream and where you are at......and of course if our good ol paradise hope altered your dream........love you guys........oompa

daniel-p

Thanks for posting this oompa. Yes, my change in belief regarding the paradise has defintely changed my outlook--however, i don't think it's all kicked in yet. I still live my life a day at a time: the go to work, eat, sleep, get up and do it again routine. You can be content with that if you truly believe you'll have thousands of years to do whatever you want, but knowing you're gonna die soon puts a new spin on things. One thing I would really like to do is backpack around the world, or at least extensively in certain places, writing as I go along. I can't think of anything else I'd like to do more than that.

VoidEater

I used to see The Good Ol' Paradise as a place of working the fields, eeking out a subsistence life by the sweat of my brow. In the evenings I'd sleep with my pet lion in a field of grass. Then back to the fields.

My current dream is to retire from the world of technology so I can open up my own bakery. The economic events of the past 4 years have pushed that out for another 20+ years. Which is still closer than Armageddon.

A fleeting night vision has to do with going back to the music world. But as I get older I have less desire to perform in public (geez, talk about work!).

I feel like Exeter at the end of This Island Earth. The universe is open before me for exploration, but my ship has no fuel left - and I crash into the sea.

wings

void....you are great! I understand just what you said.

oompa....I have lost my dreams, but I am in the process of rebuilding them. The new system got in my way too. Not sure which direction it will take me, but I'm going to find a manageable dream, and live it! I envy the ability you have to actually accomplish yours.....I'm going to have to tone mine down.

wings

Seeker4

I started a list recently in my journal of stuff I want to do in my remaining years. I've already begun checking some of them off.

Some I've done over the last six months or so:

• Get extremely fit and maintain that (I'm in an extreme daily fitness program - have dropped 20 pounds and am down close to single digit body fat percentage. In the best shape of my life at 56!)
• Learn to ride a motorcycle (Did that Monday)
• • Restore a vintage motorcycle (Will have a restored 1965 Honda Dream on the road in a week or two)
• Start skiing again (Went with my granddaughter in April)
• Spend focused time with friends and family (Doing this just about every day)
• Reconnect with a few old friends (Spent a week in Florida with a buddy from my teenage years, also a faded JW. Another former JW friend will be in the state visiting me in a few weeks.)

Of the 30 or so items left are:

• Perform live - singing and playing guitar
• Travel - Europe & Asia
• Do a serious backcountry pack trip every year
• Run a 5K race
• Play a team sport
• Learn to fly a kite-winged plane
• Learn to snowboard

There are several other things - and I add to the list when I see or think of something I'd really enjoy doing, and throw a date on those items that I've accomplished. I'm making plans for the 5K, have decided I'll probably visit one of the several local mics and play, and we're planning on doing the Long Trail end to end over a series of hikes over a few years.

Doing the list thing has made this one of the most interesting and enjoyable years of my life. I wish I'd done it sooner. It makes you think about what's important to you. Like one of the items is to get rid of clutter in my life - which will be a lifelong project, like the extreme level of fitness!

I have a few friends that have lived aboard for long periods of time - both sailboats and barges in Europe. From what they've told me, it's one of those things that sounds a lot more romantic than it is in practice. Living in VERY cramped quarters can wear very thin after a short while! That having been said, I've thought of the same thing myself. It's not on my life list, yet. I do have a friend who is one of the great deep water sailors, and we've talked about me crewing for him on one of his voyages. We'll see.

S4

Seeker4

I find it interesting that, though I can sing and play guitar very well, and I was absolutely at home as a JW speaking at every CA and DC for 20 years as well as loving to give public talks, I'm VERY nervous about singing in public.

Strange what our fears are.

S4

oompa

Seeker, add me to your list! You are now a definite inspiration, and I have to meet you.

I really liked this: Doing the list thing has made this one of the most interesting and enjoyable years of my life. I wish I'd done it sooner. It makes you think about what's important to you.

This will be added to my new "get them to think" plan for JW family and friends. Maybe get wife to make a list of things she would really like to do..... say in the next ten, then next ten or before she may not be able to. They may have to do two lists one for "if the end is in sight" and one for "it ain't happening." It is almost like making them think, "what would I really want to do if Armageddon is hundreds of years away?" Do they really want to keep knocking on doors???....cause that can really stunt a lot of dreams that require travel.

I used to be in a band, have hiked two states of the Appalachian trail, and was supposed to bike Europe when younger....another failed dream, although I did get to train it later. I have owned a power yacht and boat slip, but did not get to really live aboard....would have been very comfortable on her as she was very roomy.....but always wanted a sailing yacht.

I will now try to expand my list, as I had been focused only on my big dream. I am joining a gym today! I need to drop 15 pounds, and get some cardio! I'm not gettin any younger.........Thanks, and you might as well share your workout and diet now..........oomps

flipper

OOMPA- I bet you'd make a great sailor ! You seem to have a real love of the sea !

I am certainly living some of what I've dreamed about. I always wanted a tremendous relationship with the opposite sex - and I got it finally - after all these years a couple of years ago in Mrs. Flipper. We are really happy, share many things in common - everyday is a wonderful adventure and journey. Also- now that I haven't been to meetings in 5 years or so- I have more time to pursue backpacking adventures in the Sierra Nevada mountains out west here - and in the last year ; go looking for Bigfoot ! That's been interesting ! LOL!

I would like to not work secularly someday- but for now it's I owe, I owe, so off to work I go ! At least for the time being. But living in the Sierra mountains as we do is fulfilling another dream as well - we love the beauty of the pines, and the fresh air . I'll never go back to the city. I hope you can go sailing soon sometime friend. Peace out, wife and I love you too buddy , Mr. Flipper

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Goals, that's what I need. Thanks for the reminder, y'all.

As an over-achieving JW, I set 'spiritual' goals and even surpassed most of them. Jeez, what a bunch of futile hype. The reward for a job well done, was just more work, a spiritual treadmill that went nowhere. Time to forget that crap and move on to some real goals.

Time to plan. Thanks for the ideas. Hmmm, maybe I'll get a pet lion after all!

B the X

White Dove

I am most certainly living my life's dream journey. I'm going to grad school and then onto a very fascinating career in criminal justice admin. and Homeland Security.

Living your lifes dream....Have you? Are you? Will you?......

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