Continually Chasing Dreams
This house definitely fits into my fantasy home. Photo Remax Larson Group Kansas City
Every once in a while, I will find myself dreaming of a small 1920’s-ish cottage or Tudor in an older section of our hometown.
A house with arched doorways and where my antiques would look as if they belonged and a kitchen with a built in pantry. I also decorate the kitchen in period décor, complete with modern reproduction appliances.
There are rose bushes and an arbor in the backyard with a detached garage and plenty of bushes for privacy. It’s the burbs, but we’re also close enough to a little shopping district to walk to the local coffee shop and bookstore.
Am I crazy? We’re supposed to be living our dream.
I’m not the only one with a continual yearning.
Last weekend, I was at a new friend’s house, a very beautiful home. She was telling me everything they had done to make it their own, which included major renovations and additions.
She said it was perfect for her entertaining lifestyle, except it wasn’t, it’s on the market and they are moving to a home with more land. She then began telling me all of the renovations and addition she will make to that one.
A colleague of mine also posted a photo this week of her new home – well, it’s a mansion, really – a very lovely example of 19th century architecture, the type of home I dreamed of having when I was younger (and then realized there would be no one there to clean it but me).
None of us have the same dreams and I don’t begrudge anyone theirs; I’m very happy for both of these people that they have dreams, chased them and have achieve them.
Of course, we aren’t acting on my fantasy. We don’t have the money or the inclination to ever move again, no matter how badly those retro appliances pull at me in the stores or how much I think I would love to live in a neighborhood where I could pack up my laptop and head to the coffee shop if I felt I needed human interaction.
I just wonder, as humans, do we ever quit dreaming and if so, what happens then?
Oh, I continually renovate my attic into a huge master bedroom with bath and sauna. Oh I renovate it over and over and over again in my mind. It’s more fun than actually doing it in real life.
interesting conversation you’ve sparked here, Kerri. has me thinking again about some of my dreams.
I’m in the midst of trying to sell my home because we want to downsize, and our second deal is falling through, due to no fault of our own. So, right now, my house that used to be my dream house is turning into a nightmare! I’m the wrong one to ask right now, I’m afraid.
This reminds me of a quote my mom had hanging from a wall when I was growing up–bloom where you’re planted. I think Jacqueline says it well, if we ever quit dreaming, that means were dead. That said, you can make your reality your dream. Having just finished quite a few renovations on our home, I love it more now because I made it my own with more than a little sweat equity. Do you find that you love your little house more because you’ve made it your own?
I don’t think there would ever be a house that would make me completely happy! The solution is probably to have more than one house:)
We moved here to the Eastern Shore when we became empty nesters. Close to family and we always vacationed here. The hubby and I are campers. Every chance we get we hook up the camper and head to Pa.. Thoughts have crossed our minds about retiring in Lancaster County. I need to keep it in my mind as our vacation spot. We downsized once and downsizing again would be nice. I know what you are talking about though. Daydreaming….
I think we need a camper….:)
I find my dreams are continually changing. For 10 years I lived in my dream home–a Philadelphia duplex with six bedrooms, crystal chandeliers, fireplaces, and high ceilings.
When I sold it, I moved into my dream home in Ithaca, a small and easy-to-maintain home with a small yard where I could garden and no crime to speak of.
Now, 12 years later, I’m thinking of selling the house and taking off in a sail boat.
Humans are restless. As long as our dreams don’t keep us from living in the present, they’re a fun diversion. And an interesting way to explore different ways of living.
Oh, that is a fun dream as well, Pamela, taking off in a sailboat! What an adventure! I agree that we’re restless by nature.
I used to dream that I’d live in downtown San Francisco in an old Victorian and live the city life. A dream, but not really a reality I’d be happy with forever. Now, I’m just counting the months until I can live in my little house on the desert with my dogs,the stars, and the quiet. Dreaming is part of the journey, and I can always visit SF and stay downtown. I agree with the “sample” your dreams. It keeps life fresh.
That is very true, Carol, we can visit. When we visit our hometown, we don’t typically stay with friends or relatives. I like the luxury of getting up when we want and having someone else make my bed and not worry if I left a spot of coffee on the counter. We also stay in a very urban area with lots of shopping and restaurants that we can walk to. Dale likes to take early morning walks and he will go down to Starbucks and get me a paper and a cup of coffee. It’s great, but there are many reasons we live in the country. It would be hard for us to have 6 dogs in an urban loft or even a suburban neighborhood!
So funny– I live in an old house downtown (not KC downtown, but near the square in a small town) and love the walkability, but I have dreams of a little cabin in the woods!
I get my fix by visiting cabins once or twice a year. I think that’s my solution… although my husband did suggest we look into finding land for a tiny off-grid getaway recently, which shocked me… so perhaps I’ll end up with one someday. Who knows?
We’re giving up our old house to move near my parents (in-town move) and have a more valuable home, but I had the satisfaction of enjoying my old-house dream (actually, this is our third old house!). Now I get to go live in an 80’s ranch that I grew up with and make it our own… and that’ll be fun too. Life’s a journey, not a destination!
So very true, Kim. Oh, my, I’m sad you’re giving up your old home, I loved seeing photos of it. But now maybe you can adopt that larger dog you’ve dreamed of. 😉
I think we all dream. .Perhaps you can expand your kitchen and still have your 20’s replica. Did you build it yourself? My perfect kitchen would be a screened in lanai off the kitchen. Looking for a cabin to buy in western Ky is almost non existent.
We might expand the living and bedrooms one day by making the covered front porch an addition, but there’s really no way to build onto the back kitchen portion of the house. As a cabin in the woods, it’s just really not suited for that 20s look anyway. 🙂 Good luck with finding your cabin, Sheri, I hope that dream comes true for you!
I think if we ever quit dreaming, that means we’re dead. Call ’em goals or dreams, everyone has them. But we mustn’t forget to enjoy the journey while we’re working towards our vision.
We now live in the French Quarter of New Orleans, but are missing our isolated property in Australia. We planned ages ago to try and live half a year in the U.S.A (which we love and want to see more of) and the rest in Australia. The property is the only thing we like about Australia – we can do without the cities or the people there. So, we planned carefully and just keep that vision alive. I thought we’d never want to leave New Orleans but we were so used to the country life-style and miss it so much.
I think the yearning is what keeps our souls alive – for some of us anyway. Imagine if we didn’t have that, I don’t think we’d be very interesting as a species. Just my opinion. 😀
Even if you don’t move, you could stay in a neighborhood like the one you mention, with the coffeeshops etc. There are ways to at least ‘sample’ your dreams, even if you don’t go the whole way.
Thank you for a great blog!
Ah, another dream of mine, the Australian outback! We had an Australian exchange student live with us when I was in high school and we have an Australian daughter who lived with us for a year. I’ve always wanted to go there. 🙂 Yes, we do stay in urban areas when we visit the city. I’m sure if that dream came true, I would definitely be complaining about neighbors and the noise within a month. LOL!
We live about 50 miles from the coast, so we’re nowhere near the outback but it’s still isolated and peaceful. Some of the ranches (sheep stations) in the outback are so big, they have their own landing strips – I guess it’s like Texas, hahaha! But I feel so lucky that I get to live in the U.S. – it’s a beautiful, diverse country and there is so much of it to see. We’re thinking about living in the South-west when we return. We’re not rich, but we are so determined to find a way to see more of this country! Too many dreams are never enough! 😀
Wow! Yes, there is a lot to see here and we’re hoping to see more of it someday too. We’ve thought about the Southwest as well. Keep dreaming and living, Jacqueline!