Last night, Matt and I were watching a movie and a song came on with the line, “My wildest dreams grow wilder every day.” It really stuck with me (even though it was relatively late at night and John had already woken up three times) and I’ve spent a lot of the day thinking about my  own wildest dreams. Not just small things, like finding two extra hours in every day, but bigger things, which will take some serious time and investment. Truth be told, they’re not all that wild. But they’re mine, and I’m glad to remind myself from time to time to think beyond getting through the work week. Here’s what I’ve been thinking about:

Travel. For a reasonably well-informed person, I’m a novice when it comes to travel. Aside from a couple of trips to Ireland, I’ve never really been much of anywhere outside the U.S. But there is so very much that I’d like to see. Mainly, my interest in travel revolves around seeing things that are old. Older than our upstart country (i.e. everywhere else, it seems). I’m moved by the human effort that went into the buildings and landscapes that we take for granted now. Even older, I’d love to see the Białowieża Forest, which is essentially untouched forest straddling the border between Poland and Belarus. Un. Touched. That’s amazing.

Becoming handy. I’d like to know how to plaster a wall, refinish a floor, and rewire a light fixture. One man’s dream is another man’s manual labor, apparently. I can scratch the surface on handiness already (I own a belt sander and I’m really proud of that) but the truth is that when anything really serious needs to happen, I have to call in an expert and then pester that person with questions for the duration of the project. I drive by houses all the time that seem abandoned and bereft. Shutters swaying, steps disintegrating. I’d love to be able to buy one and spend years fixing it. We’d have to live in a normal house nearby, because Matt would want nothing to do with this.

Deutsch sprechen. I’d really like to be fluent in a second language, and for some reason German has long been my number one choice. My dad is German, and I have German friends (Guten Tag, Reinhold and Corinna!), but this goes beyond just the idea of having someone to sprechen with. I just like the sound of German. What little I’ve spoken (and I mean very little) has left me interested in more. OR, if my Deutsch sprechening doesn’t work, I’d like to be good enough at playing an instrument to play with a group of other people. Basically, it’s just another way of speaking another language. (Sadly, I used to be that good enough at playing an instrument, but I let it go. Bad decision.)

None of these things are going to happen this year, or next. But none of them seem completely farfetched. I don’t hope to go to the moon or play in the NBA or anything like that. I think it’s really just a question of planning — and  of course that’s sometimes is easier said than done. Now I’ve written them down. Maybe that’s a good first step.