The American Dream
Are you picturing a two story house in suburbia surrounded by a white picket fence? Or are you picturing the pretzel store at your nearby mall, because damn, pretzels are delicious. Especially the pretzel bites, which cost a measly $3. Mmm, that’s the dream.
Maybe you’re thinking of working your way to the top and buying fancy status symbols along the way. Or maybe you’re thinking of going to the movies after you finish your pretzels, because you like to laugh, you like to imagine, you like to consume stories. The movies force you to focus on just a single experience and be mindful; it’s very relaxing. That’s the dream.
If it isn’t fortune you’re after, are you thinking about fame, because what’s the point of living a meaningful life if others don’t know about it? Or maybe it was a perfect Saturday since you were with the right people. Your dad and younger sister, whom you both love, went with you to the pretzel store and movies. Even though it was more than five years ago, it feels recent. That’s the dream.
Getting a front row parking spot at Ikea, that’s the dream.
Assembling the Ikea furniture without breaking anything, that’s the dream.
By happenstance your eastern-based, favorite NFL team has a locally televised game, that’s the dream.
Finding a free couch through the neighborhood Facebook group, that’s the dream.
Spending the evening with someone that makes you happy, that’s the dream. Someone who makes you so happy, she's worth a second sentence, that’s the dream.
Taking the bus into work and reading during the commute, that’s the dream.
Licking the bowl and spatula after making chocolate chip cookies, that’s the dream.
Audible and Spotify, that’s the dream team.
But more important than all that, the ultimate dream that lets you know you’ve made it to the top, the “That’ll do pig, that’ll do” status symbol, my personal treasure buried in the sand near the pyramids in Egypt, the peaceful, outer-planet life as a gardner after you’ve finished your big snap, the real American Dream - a hot tub.
