the dream

You wouldn't know it to look at me, but I kind of envy my sister's life. She's a physician; husband, two kids, small town, big back yard, great neighbors. They have Dora dolls and gymnastics class and a big-screen TV and a Fire Safety Plan.

I share a crappy apartment with two students in a big city. I'm single and sometimes just plain alone, and I own exactly one piece of furniture for which I paid more than $100. I'm functionally bilingual, have lived a good chunk of my adult life abroad and plan to again, maybe soon. My hobbies are navel-gazing, single-adult hobbies. I don't know where I'll be living or working a year or even a month from now.

But man, there's a sliver of the suburban dream lodged in my heart.