I remember when I was younger I used to constantly imagine different places I could live, or bars I could own. I loved writing about details and trying to make other see what I saw in my head. The challenge of your mind interpreting the rain drops on the windows like I imagined they should be. I thought about textures and lighting, sounds and smells. In the end it wasn't necessarily because I wanted to be a good writer or anything like that, I only wanted someone else to know where I wanted to live someday. How I wanted to be. I wanted someone to understand what I liked, what would make me comfortable. So today as I opened my window in the living room, and the sun bounced brightly off the faux wood flooring, I took it all in. And when I pushed play on the stereo and the soulfull sounds filled the air, I was taken back to that place I had imagined as a child. The place I had imagined myself living by now in a city away from here. Its a sobering experience when you revisit the dreams you had as a child and realize that for all intents and purposes, they shall never be reality. The reality you lead is most definitely someone's dream, maybe even your own now, but it is not the dream of your youth...

I always imagined living in some big city, in a large loft like apartment perched high on the skyline. I wasn't for prestige that one would dwell here, but rather for the ambiance. It was the feeling when the air turned cool at night and you could see the storms moving in the horizon. The wood floors that covered the expanse was cold and warm all together. The harsh, cold nature of a hard surface wherever you stepped, a very modern feel in that way. But it didn't have to be cold. The rich brown and golden hues and tones could make it the warmest place on a sunny day, but that day was not today. It was for these nights, with the approaching storm that the floors were intended. For on these nights, you could light some candles and sit back in a leather chair, becoming lost in the mood. The sounds Marc Cohn with the soulful voice and melodic but strong piano backing would fill the apartment. A soul could become lost in comfort just closing their eyes and feeling the music in their body. The fresh rain smell adds just another dimension as tear drops begin to splash the enormous windows looking over the comforting skyline. A skyline not at all intimidating at night, but actually calming with the array of cool colors speckling the horizon.

This is where I found my piece as a child, this is where I dreamed to live and be content someday. The contrast of cool and warmth. The combination of wide open expanse of a studio apartment and cozy comfort found only in good music that moves the soul. Comfort lies in contrast and familiarity. It's knowing you have all the space you need, yet need no more than a single chair. Calm is in the rain, the smell of freshness it brings, the way it makes everything look shiny and new. Peace is in the person, experiencing their dream.

An interesting note, it's times like these I wish I'd stayed with my dreams in highschool. I'd once wanted to be an architect. I wanted to design these dreams, others alike. I gave up on that and now am uncertain about my career and whether or not I will be good at whatever I may do now. I have great respect, appreciation and admiration for my friends who know what they want to do and are incredibly gifted with those talents. I envy those with the skills I came to learn and some how changed my course. I wish I had the knowledge and ability now to design the things I see in my head. Thank god there are those of you out there who possess that ability still and will never let it die. Creation is an amazing thing, especially in the right hands...