Winter Dreaming

This time of year in the southern hemisphere, the bustle and rustle of summer and autumn have come to an end.

Umbrellas and gumboots jostle for position by front doors and warm-jacketed stalwarts are at the sidelines of sports fields on crisp weekend mornings. Kitchens are filled with the comforting smells of soup and scones and casseroles. Scorching Summer days feel a long way off

Winter days are a good time to cosy up and take time to dream a little.

Dreamtime was actually a 'thing' in our family. It was a whole-of-family activity when we all got to sit around after a meal together and imagine, for our individual selves, what we would like to achieve in the future.

My Mum, whiteboard pen in hand (or often, mistakenly, a permanent red marker!) would urge us to share our visions for the future.

Whether it was something we wanted to achieve over the coming year, or decade, whether it was a little goal or a HUGE one.

And, in the spirit of "build it and they will come" - we had to say it out loud, while Mum wrote it on the whiteboard . . . and, somehow, we all knew that the naming and declaring of our dream to each other meant that we would achieve it.

In the tradition of my mum, our family continues to dream, to name those dreams and declare them to each other so that we are then obliged to work toward making them a reality. It's work. Yes. But it's satisfying and purposeful. And it's one sure-fire way to get. stuff. done!

If I had a mug that spoke to my dreams as a hobby writer - it would be this one.

This mug would nudge me, silently (while I drank my Avalanche Chai Latte), like a mini whiteboard in my hand - reminding me to keep writing and finish my book.

Perhaps that's one reason I love the idea behind the I'd Rather Be collection.

Every mug tells a small story about something a person would rather be doing.

They are little reminders of the things that make life our own, to live well.

So as winter settles in and the days grow shorter, here in NZ - perhaps this is a good time (wherever you are in the world, whatever season it may be) to ask yourself:

What would you rather be doing?

And what small step could you take toward that dream today?