People Dream All Year of Your Everyday

As I was driving through town yesterday, I saw a billboard with a picture of a snowcapped mountain and a skier flying down a black diamond run. It was pretty cool to see, especially when it is October and the temperature on the car thermometer reads 84 degrees.

The tagline above the picture read, “People dream all year of your everyday.” We live in a place that has what others want, and they can’t just drive an hour to get it. They have to plan for it. This is what they are saving for. This is their dream vacation, to come and ski the mountains of Colorado.

It was like the billboard was saying “Hey, idiot in the car down there! Don’t you see? You get to live in another person’s dreamland.”

Some advertising executive thought up this tagline, probably at some advertising agency in Los Angeles. Maybe it occurred to him while dreaming of coming to Colorado with his family for the winter.

Picture this….he is googling “Colorado mountain towns” and sees that Winter Park has some specials over the holidays. He hasn’t skied in years and his kids are now the right age to take lessons. His wife would love shopping in the village. They could all go eat dinner at that cute mountain bistro and enjoy some much needed family time.

He calls his wife and says, “Honey, you know that vacation fund we’ve been saving? Let’s take the family to Colorado this winter.” She is excited. He is excited. They hang up, and he books the trip. They have a special dinner that night to tell the kids all about their upcoming Colorado vacation. The kids start a countdown calendar. They tell all their friends, who are envious of their plans.

The time comes and they board the plane to Colorado. They land at Denver International Airport and get a shuttle to Winter Park. The town looks just like a postcard. Their hotel is at the base of the mountain. They soak in all the winter fun they can that week, and enjoy every minute of it.

On their last night, they go out to dinner and meet a group of locals. These people live in Winter Park. They ski every day in the winter. They drink hot cocoa each night by the fire. They are living this family’s dream vacation.

Now that I have painted the picture, think about this: each one of us is living someone else’s dream. Perhaps we have someone else’s dream job, or we’re in someone else’s dream marriage. Maybe we live in the kind of house someone else is saving for, or we are blessed with the kind of family relationships someone else is yearning for.

That’s the way it is in the world. We all have dreams. Sometimes, we may dream about what someone else has. Other times, someone else is dreaming about what WE have.

Here is my challenge for you today. Ask yourself these questions:
1. What is your dream? Where have you always wanted to go? What have you always wanted to experience? CAN YOU MAKE PLANS TO DO IT?
2. What do you have that could be someone else’s dream? Is there something you are taking for granted? Do you need to remind yourself how lucky you are?

As I sit here at my house in Colorado, I realize that I am grateful to be where I am…

…but boy, I sure would love to go to the beach!