If I had it all

I was allowing myself a little daydream as I drove home from work today. I thought about what life would be like if I had all the money I wanted, the partner I dream of, the house overlooking the water that I imagine....if only I had those things I would be able to write stories full time. I would write and exercise and eat healthy food prepared with time and energy.

Really? I had to stop myself right there. If I had all the money I wanted, I'd be floating around the Mediterranean on an amazing yacht or in some other exotic land tasting the pleasures of life. Maybe I would write if I ever became bored. I’m sure I would have the best of intentions but what would be the motivation? Would I be prompted to write or paint or express myself?

I think of famous artists and authors who have endured heartaches and devastation. Their imaginative novels and paintings have been an outlet for their passions and pain. Our trials and tribulations provide a wellspring of material to draw upon for inspired works. It is our desire and our quest for more that spurs us ever onward. It is the times when we have conquered our fears or fallen in love or had an economic collapse that can provide the experience to produce something truly grand.

I wonder why that is. Does it make us feel closer to others to share our experiences? Is it an emotional release to create something from nothing? Is it our caring for others that impels us to make an object of beauty for others to enjoy? More to ponder for another night.