At school, someone asked what I would want to learn or what kind of project I would do if I had four months to do it and money weren't an issue. (Seniors can do this in the spring semester; normally, they design an internship.) People said things like scuba-dive, learn costume design, or go to a far-away vineyard.

Previously, that would have totally been my thing - the idea of grape harvesting, living in some sparse conditions amidst fellow foreigners, celebrating nightly with the fruits of your labor, soaking in the sun and earth. Or encircling myself with ribbons and embellishments and finally learning how to sew. But the first thing that came to my mind was to listen to all of MLK's sermons. Not the most industrious use of time, but that's all I want to do these days (along with Andy Stanley), especially after listening to the three dimensions of a complete life.

Then I remembered that I want to make a children's book, an interest-goal I've had unfulfilled for so long now. These thoughts were promptly followed by selfish me, I should save the world, cure cancer....

But my real dream idea would be to fix up my (imaginary) cottage on the Swedish island where my father's family still lives. In reality, they do have a cottage, which I've never seen, but I like to think it looks like this:

Continuing the fantasy, this would somehow be 10 years ago, before it became a questionable or maybe just impossible trip health-wise for my dad. Of course money is no object, we're all fit and healthy, can communicate, get along beautifully, swim unselfconsciously in a pristine lake, sit around happily eating lingonberries fresh from the mosquito-free, organic garden patch right outside the back door, and retire by a quaint fire, sleeping soundly protected by the native trolls.

What would you do?