A Girl Can Dream
me, pretending to be serious reporter on assignment on the chinatown bus to new york city
Okay, in no particular order, and at the risk of sounding completely ridiculous, here’s my list of over-the-top dream jobs:
1. Award-winning journalist with occasional invites from Cokie Roberts for coffee or tea in Bethesda, just because she misses me and wants to catch up.
2. Anthropologist/travel writer/sage wandering around Africa with my friend Fatou uncovering women’s wisdom and learning about how to be present in the face of joy or suffering.
3. One of those artists sitting in tents at outdoor markets, working on inspiring pieces of art in between charming customers and passing out random blessings
4. Clever, witty radio personality (think Terry Gross or Ira Glass)
5. Some sort of author on some subject requiring workshops, retreats or weekends with interesting, wise readers. A cross between SARK, Anne Lamott and Katrina Kenison. Wouldn’t that be nice?
6. Ani Difranco’s doula.
7. Shopkeeper of some delightful, charming shop on an old city street where just walking in the door makes you feel nurtured and loved. Also, hot cookies appear magically for customers and every third day we give away stuff for fun.
8. Indie band promoter/groupie, storyteller, community organizer, development advocate , political operative and/or farmer’s market rep.
9. Also, not to be forgotten, this string of service-industry jobs: bus driver, taxi cab driver, coffee shop girl and/or sweaty sub shop at the beach. I can’t help it. The whole idea is intoxicating.
10. And while I’m at it, Ze Frank’s best friend. Surely that’s a full-time job.
I don’t know why I like these kinds of lists, but for some reason they make me laugh and make me happy. I think that’s one reason why I have a blog–to play at taking on different roles and try my hand at new ways of being in the world.
So for the month of December (or until I forget I have posted this list) I want to try on some of my dream jobs or at least give away lots of stuff and pretend to myself that this is what Terry Gross would do, if NPR had more money and she could do anything she wanted.
Tomorrow, I’ll be playing award-winning journalist/interviewer/giver away of stuff with a very nice interview with Kris Holloway, a mom, author, former Peace Corps worker and general good soul. I heard her first on NPR and she was kind enough to talk to me about writing her book, raising kids and making a difference in the world.
You can play along in the comments by posting your dream jobs–I’ll send Kris’s book to some random person–to be announced at close of business tomorrow. Lots of love to you all and happy Wednesday.
December 6th, 2006 at 2:10 am
mmm…loved your dream jobs. they made me happy just reading and imagining you in those jobs. you’re so fun and tres cool, girlfriend.
hmmm…let’s see, just a few for now:
ballet dancer for a curvy dance troupe (no skinny minnies)
a funny mime that travels to orphanages to do skits
an author of a hip book on fertility
lead singer of an indie band
clothing designer for Kate Winslet *grin*
this was so fun…thank you, needed this. ; )
December 6th, 2006 at 3:16 am
wonderful, I love this list. it helps me open my soul and widen my own dreams. I just wish I were as daring and brave as you are. some days, I really think I need a kick in the butt
December 6th, 2006 at 4:33 am
I feel shy….
Been reading you for awhile and truly am in love….
You inspire me so much, thank you! We have many writer/music loves in common and that has been so connecting for me.
I love your list, it was juicy to read and to think about.
December 6th, 2006 at 7:44 am
I loved your list. I was a coffee shop girl just a few years back and I adored it. I still fall in love with the coffee shop smell every time I walk in the door.
Let’s see…..
I would really love to make a cd. I’m a singer. No, really..I am. I majored in voice and everything.
But I’m a big fat chicken.
I want to write a devotional book for real people..the people who forget about God sometimes or who ask questions and screw up.
I want to go back to school, major in theology and spend my days immersed in conversation about God and the Universe.
Wow…I didn’t even realize I had so many dreams.
December 6th, 2006 at 9:19 am
Librarian. I’m already a teacher…close enough to it, but I love the sight, smell, and feel of books. If I really want to go over the top…author would be next on the list.
December 6th, 2006 at 9:48 am
such a beauty! which brings me to my “dream” job: makeup artist. I met a woman last year who had retired from being one, and she had met a ton of interesting and famous people. But that would be a side benefit for me. I just love to play with make up. Always did. Remember those beauty doll barbie heads in the 70s? I have a picture of little hippie flower child me, grooming one. I must dig it up for a post.
xo
k.
December 6th, 2006 at 1:12 pm
Jen, I love this and was asked this question recently at a dinner party. My reply was journalist. I would travel all over the world to the most remote and the most dangerous places. You would be in places where people would tell their stories…stories of violence, love, peace, the human spirit, of God and all the God-workings and God-sightings, stories of fear and of courage, amazing resilient children and resourceful adults…okay, you get the picture. Wouldn’t that be the most amazing thing to do?
I would also love to own a bookstore. One side for adults and one for children. Cozy storytimes for children. Places to gather around the table and talk about life and books. Authors who would come and sign their books and talk to us about being a writer. The children’s side would be bright and yet comforting…full of color and large prints of illustrations, lots of place to sit and read…on the floor, in the windowsill. The adult side would be comfortable but quirky… lots of big sofas to sink into. Sounds fun, huh?
My third dream would be to be a midwife in Africa…I am a labor and delivery nurse. To see babies born. To nurture them and their mothers. To teach about healthcare and to learn their ways. To see the country and the people and get to know both. To hold their hands and swaddle their babies and kiss their sweet heads.
Okay, enough dreaming for today. I could do this all day.
Thanks for the opportunity to drop reality for a few minutes and dream big.
December 6th, 2006 at 2:34 pm
This is so fun, and so inspiring! Dream jobs:
—Being a commentator on NPR, and getting to play “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me”
—writer of a book that Oprah selects for her book club
—anything to do with Oprah, really
—poet that makes money!
—owner of a children’s book store like Meg Ryan’s character in You’ve Got Mail
—I’m already a massage therapist, but I would like to get additional training in Maya Abdominal massage, doula training, etc. in order to provide excellent services in women’s health.
—magazine writer
So many amazing jobs! This was a great post!
December 6th, 2006 at 3:27 pm
Hmm…when I was a telephone operator and faced with losing my job, the union sent a man in to give us girls a test to see “What We Wanted TO Be When We Grew Up” - apparently there was some job training in the offing.
So I was called to the blackboard to list my top 3 dream jobs.
I wrote:
1. phone slut (and put a line through it as Achieved!)
2. Private Investigator
3. Supreme Court Judge.
The poor man just didn’t know what to do with me so he recommended me for advanced electronics school. The rest is ancient history.
December 6th, 2006 at 3:59 pm
I love this game! One of my favorite things to day dream about. These are in no particular order…actually their order changes depending on the mood I’m in.
1. Anne Lamott type author…full time. I’d do more speaking engagements/public appearances then she does though…to get away from my computer now and then. Only one problem — I’m not a great writer. I guess that’s why they’re called “fantasy” jobs.
2. Dorothy Day type community development person. Maybe work with Jim Wallis at Sojourners or something.
3. Contemplative nun (I sound like I’m catholic and I’m not). I’d just love all that quite & prayer time alone with God! Maybe I could do my Ann Lamotte writing about the stuff I learn from Him.
4. Artist/Crafstperson. This one I can visualize in detail. I’d have my own studio right downtown in our little city and I’d encourage other artists to rent studio time there also…to keep me company. And I’d have a gallery where I’d display/sell work by others as well as me. Folks could come in and see artists “creating” while browsing int he gallery.
5. Professor. I’d get a phd in something like health economics, community development, or public policy and then become a professor. I think I’d love working on a university campus & having a flexible schedule. I’d do research and write. In my really good daydreams I even come up with a persuasive arguement for national health insurance or raising the minimum wage!
That’s all. I’m relatively happy doing what I’m doing but it’s fun to dream!
December 6th, 2006 at 4:46 pm
I already have a fantastic job — I’m a writer/journalist in a gorgeous desert.
But my other dream jobs would be:
1. Travel writer. Not the kind who details the minutia of how many rooms are in a hotel or how to make reservations at a restaurant … *yawn*. I want to be a savvy and sassy globetrotter, who had adventures and makes friends out of strangers and investigates what’s down that alley.
2. The person who stomps grapes in a huge, squishy barrel.
3. Anything that involves the wearing of a tutu. The more floaty and dreamy, the better. I used to wear a vintage tutu while I did my housework — it’s the best way to brighten your day!
4. I used to be a really avid skydiver. And I always wanted to take my skill for human flight and put it to good use as a STUNTWOMAN! So when some Hollywood-type is too much of a wuss to backflip from a plane — that’s when this fiery lady enters the picture.
5. Astronaut/artist/president. When I was little, that’s what I said I wanted to be when I got older.
6. Pastry chef.
7. Owner of a bookstore/coffee/lingerie shop.
8. Beat poet. Because I’m hep like that, man. Also, I look good in black turtlenecks.
9. Windmill washer. Where I live, we have these enormous fields of windmills to generate energy. I’ve been told there’s one guy who climbs 150 feet to the top of each windmill and wipes the blades clean, one by one. This job probably sounds a lot more romantic than it actually is, though.
10. Cat cuddler. Not exactly a lucrative career, but certainly satisfying to the soul.
December 6th, 2006 at 7:54 pm
Can’t resist:
1. Baby whisperer, on call, day or night with magical powers for calming colicky infants
2. Backup singer in an R&B band
3. TV talk show host
4. Samouri warrior
5. Dream interpreter
6. Spiritual pundit
7. Writer of extraordinary brilliance
8. Comedy therapist
December 6th, 2006 at 9:07 pm
dream jobs…
playing my violin for some kind of jazz type group
conducting an orchestra that has never had a female conductor.
composing a score for a movie (cool docu-drama perhaps)
a mom (one day)
counselor to women who have lost their stregnth
telling women they are beautiful, just all day, like i’d call women up and say “you are beautiful” just kind of randomly or something.
writing, anything
hairdresser in a barber shop or bus driver is high on my list too.
December 6th, 2006 at 11:07 pm
dream job? GIS developer/analyst for some save-the-world organization like world vision. or to be a mom.
December 7th, 2006 at 12:04 am
I don’t have a dream job anymore. Jobs are just so inherently duty-bound and transactional, and inevitably they have some dark side that means they’re not so terribly fun after all. But then again, I do enjoy my current job quite a lot, so it’s not all bad. I just don’t dream about jobs anymore.
Instead, I dream about a life where I could choose perfectly how I’d spend my time, independent of any external forces. I’d read and knit and draw and do yoga and try new things and cook and simply while away the time doing whatever I thought up to do next, going to bed when I was tired and waking up when my eyes open. I might make books one day, sew something the next, and wander through a museum on the third. It would be a perpetual vacation, I guess.
December 7th, 2006 at 12:38 am
Owning a shop like Meg Ryan’s from You’ve Got Mail would be the coolest ever!
And, I could totally picture you selling your art down from the Met. Maybe next time! heehee
December 7th, 2006 at 1:05 am
Oh this is fun…….
1. I’d be a high level religous leader …perhaps the pope or the archbishop of canterbury. I’d love to dress up in all those clothes and give blessings to the world.
2. I’d have a little storefront. It would be kind of like the neon psychic shops except I’d offer Reiki and healing and a place for those who are tired to just stop and hang out. It would have lots of incense, candles, icons, and deep rich fabrics.
3. I’d have a loft like art studio where people could just drop in a play with paint and clay and beads….very process rather than product oriented.
4. I’m going to open a goddess sex shop to celebrate all things related to women’s bodies. This could be lots of fun ! We’d offer workshops and seminars and maybe have yoga and meditation.
Oh I must go to bed but this is very fun.
December 7th, 2006 at 1:17 am
I’m a new reader of your blog…this sounds like a fun game to play….
….a super talented, very confident photographer who has a long waiting list of clients…
….a children’s book author…or, now that I think of it, any type of author…with lots of book signings in bokstores around the world….
….a design-on-a-dime (well…maybe not a dime) interior designer (and owner of the company, of course)
….a very hot singer….(that makes me laughed that I even typed that)…
….the owner of a luxurious resort in a tropical location…
….owner of a great boutique that sells gift baskets that everyone loves…
….this one is a stretch…but maybe the owner of a great Italian pub owner….
**sigh** my job is pretty great though…a 4th grade teacher.
December 7th, 2006 at 1:41 am
Great hat. And an inspiring post. I love that you plan to try your dreams on for size.
Dream job for me - miracle worker. I’d heal children, find loving homes for the homeless, and mend broken spirits. I’d shine light and love in dark places, fearlessly.
December 7th, 2006 at 10:16 am
My (short) list:
Singing in a band.
Getting paid to write.
Iconographer.
Chef for the Boston Red Sox.
Peace,
Milton
December 7th, 2006 at 11:35 am
-athlete (to play pretty much anything and not have to excel at any of it)
-executive assistant to someone who really needs help organizing their life
-librarian
-nature photographer
-environmental scientist (half in the field, half at the computer)
December 7th, 2006 at 12:26 pm
OMG…I just happened upon your site, but had to comment on #6. I just saw Ani’s last concert, in New York, last month. When she announced that she was planning a home birth, I nearly lept out of my seat and one of my companions said, “You want to be her doula, don’t you?”
YES!
Very entertaining.
December 7th, 2006 at 3:39 pm
hmmmmm - my dream job is to write something that makes someone sit down and waste the entire morning searching the internet to find more of my writing because they are hungry for more of my words. That dear lady is exactly what happened to me today after reading your zine which was purchased for me years ago and just read for the first time over the course of the last two days. You are remarkable, thank you for putting your spirit out there. I must go attend to my children now, but I will be back!
December 7th, 2006 at 5:52 pm
dream jobs.
1.someone who sites public art works.
2. I run a large studio think tank, full of collaborative artists creating spatial architecture artworks under a common name.
3.seriously- i dream hard about being able to have kids someday, to enjoy sunny afternoons, and have a home studio. to strech out on all days, not just sick days at home (like today)
4. I like jobs where I am contributing and in charge. I think of midwifery, doulas, vetinarians. any job that pulls upon intuitive wisdom and where i can be large and in charge, it gets my wheels turning.
5. i’m afraid that after grad school i’ll end up being a dusty professor somewhere talking to myself, but i could always be one of those teachers that illuminates life for their students.
6. i’d like to make a business out of making quint homeade objects out of felt and wax, and have a wonderful partner in crime who would make the showroom magic.
7.or make masterful pots of jam and delicous small batches of brew to sell for consumption in my salon.
8. work with refugees and immigrants helping them find peaceful people to help them in their new lands.
December 7th, 2006 at 7:29 pm
Lovely. Ani DiFranco’s doula is a tough one to beat.
But seriously…an aid relief worker in Africa. I’ve tried for years to get an international placement, and never get anywhere. But, oh, how much I want to go and do and go.
December 7th, 2006 at 8:55 pm
Jen, I am leaving next week for a short mission trip to Mexico. I have always wanted to do mission work, especially medical mission work and within the last two months I have had three offers. We are flying into Acapulco and driving into the interior of Mexico. There will a church building dedication, three nights of worship, medical clinic during the days, children’s programs, preaching in the prison, and some time just spent with the people there. I am excited but the place I have always dreamed of going is Africa. The other two offers are for Africa. Yay! I will let you know how and if those happen. I am 46 years old and these dreams have been around since I was a teenager….I didn’t think that they would happen. My other dream was to write children’s books and I have started on one. Just wait and see what I am doing when I am 60. It is going to be a fun journey.
December 9th, 2006 at 1:07 pm
Came here via Irene’s…and this post alone is putting you in my Bloglines feeds. (I should have started reading you sooner when I saw you linked at Andrea’s.) You’re preachin’ to the choir on this one. I want so very many of the same kinds of things. But you know, one day, it just suddenly hit me…what I really want…is to be a change agent. I want to live my life in a way that impacts not only me, but other people, too. And sometimes that includes working in the service industry.
(What is it about those jobs that’s so appealing?) I’m going to have to re-read this one a few times. You’ve inspired me.
December 10th, 2006 at 12:38 am
This post has been lingering at the edge of my mind off and on all day…and then I just saw this YouTube video linked at a pal’s (private) blog - “Vision Statement” with Malcolm Cohan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qftvt9IHHUM
And it occurs to me that tying your “dream jobs” list with a video vision statement just might be a powerful thing.
January 30th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
[…] Without giving too much away, just let me say that one of the big themes in Beginnings is to dream big…Mondo Beyondo big. I tried very hard to be a good little girl and make my Mondo Beyond list last night – but I fear it might be a little tame in comparison to Jen’s heart-stopping list here. But still, it marks where my dreams are at in this moment, so I’ll Polaroid that here and now for future reference. […]
August 10th, 2007 at 10:29 am
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