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Monday 14 October 2013

My Life Swap

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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to swap lives with some else for a while?

I do.

But in my daydreams, I get to take my family with me. We just simply move into a different life for a little while..... until we have had enough and want to go back to our own life.

It's not something driven by any sort of unhappiness, it's just escapism. I am intrigued by different lifestyles to my own ... most of which are completely unrealistic.

My curiosity is usually sparked after watching a movie or a TV show where the scenery evokes something in me that makes me crave those same surroundings.

Occasionally it is a smell or even sounds, music and colours that inspire me. Sitting in a coffee shop in the inner city, wandering along a boardwalk at the beach or driving along unfamiliar rural roads - I like to just quietly watching people go about their business and wonder about them, their life and where they go home to.

In my mind, they of course have the most beautiful homes, work is minimal and life is all about the fun stuff. It's not cheating, I know it's completely unrealistic, but it's allowed to be, because it is just a day dream.

Three different lifestyles stand out in the appeal stakes when I think about an ideal life swap.

Two are completely alien to me and having never lived in these sorts of places I am intrigued by them and their own distinctive vibe.

One lifestyle is very vaguely familiar... actually the only familiar part is living close to the beach.

But in my daydreams, money doesn't even come into the equation as the style of house, decor, location and the way we spend our days are achievable with a simple wave of a wand. Nothing is unattainable and time is in abundance with nothing more on my agenda then waking up with the family and doing ... well doing whatever we damn well please.

Here are the 3 lifestyles I most frequently daydream about.



In my HUGE inner city terrace, I have a high walled ground floor courtyard as well as a roof top balcony on which I can host the most sophisticated cocktail parties.

Our mornings are spent sipping lattes and eating croissants after we drop the kids off at school.

Days are occupied with shopping in cute little corner delis, lunching with friends and pottering in the courtyard.

In the evening we stroll the streets, dogs on leashes, kids on scooters and the hubby's hand in mine. We watch the city come to life, the lights bright and welcoming, before heading home for dinner made from delectables purchased at a little Greek delicatessen earlier that day.
Come the weekends, we have had enough of the city's noise and busyness and need to escape for a while. And so we pack up the Canary yellow VW Van and head into to the woods where we have a cabin, all be it a sprawling 5 bedroom 'cabin' overlooking a lake. *Ahem* don't forget, anything is possible in my daydream.

Our mornings at the cabin are spent collecting eggs from our white fluffy chooks and long lazy breakfasts on the pontoon in front of our estate (See that? I just upgraded a little there, I can totally do that in my day dream).

Days are spent fishing, exploring the woods and making pretty crowns out of wild daises we gathered on our walk.

Come twilight you will find us sprawled down by the water on blankets and cushions. The fire is crackling and under the clear starry night and surrounded by lanterns and fairy lights, we eat fish and truffles, gifts from that day's adventure.

When school holidays roll around we escape to our beach side property for endless weeks of sunshine and swimming.

Mornings are luxuriously slow, with nothing more pressing than early morning swims and breakfast of fresh fruit and tropical juice under the shade of the palm trees.

The hours of the day are wasted on beach combing for sea glass and drift wood, and riding on bikes to the beachside markets to stock up on coconuts and mangoes which we carry home in our seagrass backpacks.

In the early evening, the kids play in the sand and the gently lapping waves as Carl and I sit on the veranda with the sweet smell of sandalwood incense wafting in the breeze. We sip on caprioskas and pick at a big wooden bowl full of lime infused baja mix whilst listening to the kids laughing and soaking up the fresh salty air.

Go on admit it, you think I have lost the plot don't you?

Come on, every one has a happy place or 3 that they escape to in their imaginations don't they.  I believe some therapist call it a 'Happy Place'. It's just that my 'Happy Place' is more like placeS and they happen to be very meticulously thought out.

I wouldn't really want to change my life ... not much anyway.

Alright, admittedly I would be prepared to suffer through it if I got to live any of the lives I have described above.

Realistically though, it's more about allowing my mind to whisk me off for an imaginary life swap every now and then. After all, we all deserve to dream big every now and then.

Do you play that game?
Tell me what your ideal life swap would involve? 
Come on, go to town - you can have any life you want.