That friend of yours, who is a doctor or works for google (I can't remember which), who is back from a six-month long volunteering and backpacking gig in South America, and went to a three-week long vipaasana meditation class, works in an organic farm now to pay for the house that she and her boyfriend are building from scratch with the help of some equally enviable friends they met at those contra dance events, plays two musical instruments and sings well, reads every kind of book in the world when she is not watching every kind of movie in the world and seems to know a hell of a lot about everything current and historic, social and political and lives up to her admirable liberal ideals! Can I be her?

I have heard myself say this about quite a few people over the last few months. I was beginning to wonder if they were putting on an act. But, the particulars add up so well. The dates match, they dance and sing well, they talk well, they have flickr albums with pictures of all their activities, and blogs with descriptive write-ups about their exploits. If all this is a sham, then maintaining this sham is more effort than actually doing this? No. This has to be real! They have to be doing all this! Can I be them?

It brings me to the real question. What do I want to be!

I think I am happy where I am.

Ya.

This is good.