"My name is Bond... Cheryl Bond... Um... Antier."

When I was young, I decided I wanted to be a spy when I grew up.  I thought it would be terribly exciting, and romantic and fascinating (there’s one of my favorite ‘F-Words)…

To help give myself an edge when I was ready to go apply with the CIA, I studied Morse Code, and the latitude and longitude of all the countries, and even started teaching myself Russian, from tapes I borrowed from the local library.  And I also started doing some strength training exercises from the Marines, and reading everything I needed to know to become a locksmith (of course, I was mostly interested in learning how to pick them – something else I taught myself how to do.)

And I wrote marvelous, exciting stories about my life as a spy… (“Bond, Cheryl Bond…)

At 18, I almost joined the army – not only did I want to ‘be all I could be’ – but I thought being a helicopter pilot would be a useful skill for a spy as well. Of course, I changed my mind on that one after a family friend who was a high-ranking officer explained that just because the recruiter promised I’d be flying helicopters, enjoying spa days and having lots of time for dating and going shopping – DIDN’T necessarily mean it – I changed my mind.  (Mucking around as a mechanic and getting grease under my nails just WASN’T my idea of fun!)

When I was a little older, I started repo-ing cars – cause I liked the adrenaline rush, and because a spy never knows when they’re going to have to be able to hotwire the nearest get-away car.  And after getting formally escorted off an Indian Reservation in Arizona, and being politely told I wasn’t welcome to return, I came up with an idea for not only being able to repo any car for my clients – but having their owners happily cooperating and giving me their keys.

And then, after I had kids, I decided being a spy – when I was an old woman – would still be a good idea.  First of all, it’s great cover. Who would expect a nice little gray-haired lady to be Mata Hari?   Plus, I figured, being a spy beat being a bag lady in the cold, or spending my final years in a nursing home somewhere, where the most exciting thing that happened was sitting in a rocking chair while I watched my teeth soaking in a glass by the bed. And I created bedtime stories for my boys – full of heros and heroines, brave deeds and evil foes…

No matter what job I’ve ever had – or what business I started and later sold, or walked away from, one thing stayed consistent. Somehow, some way, I always wrote.  And eventually, I figured out that writing – is my biggest, and longest-lived passion.

And a little while after that, I learned I could do what I loved – and make enough money to build the kind of lifestyle I wanted.

So what about you? When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?  What were you so excited about – so passionate about – that you’d spend all your extra time doing it?  What did you love learning about?  Trying? Playing with?

Please feel free to leave a comment below, ’cause I’d love to hear about what you wanted to be when you grew up!

Visiting Ross Castle in Ireland

Last year, we took a trip to Ireland.  I’ve always wanted to go. And it was so much more than I was expecting!  The people are warm and friendly and welcoming.  The country is as green as I’d read about in books and seen in the movies.  And we got to see so many amazing places… Dublin, Claire,County Cork, Galway, Kerry – just to name a few.  This is one of the amazing shots I got to take at Ross Castle… What I really love about this one is the the reflection.

And that’s what I want you to do today – even if its only for 15 minutes.  Reflect on what ‘living the dream lifestyle’ would really mean to you.  If there was nothing standing in your way – what would you want?  Where would you go? Who would be your friends? Where would you live?

Something else I’ve learned is that this life, this moment – it’s not a ‘dress rehearsal’.  We don’t get ‘do-overs’ the way we did when we were kids, playing games with our friends.  So if you’re serious about wanting something else – something different… If you really want to live the life you know you were meant to live – what are you waiting for?

I love long weekends – and here in France, Monday was a day off for us.  So Alain and I ’seized the day’ and took his dad with us, and we went for a long drive, a leisurely lunch, and then spent the afternoon in Cannes.

The 2010 Cannes Film festival has just ended, and, like most locals, we stayed far away from the city until the festivities were over. Which is not to say Cannes was dead today.  Quite the opposite.

Along La Croisette (the main street that runs parallel to the Med), the white tents were being taken down and all sorts of interesting-looking things were being loaded into discreet white trucks with canvas sides.  By the way, in case you’ve ever wondered, in Provencal, (the old language from the south of France), ‘La Croisette’ means ‘the little submarine’ – and not ‘the cross’, which is what many people think.

The streets of Cannes were full of people – students on class trips, buses of Russian, German and Italian tourists, and of course, the locals, venturing out to walk their dogs and enjoy the beautiful day.

Parking was difficult, but not impossible.

The beaches were crowded, but there was still room for a few beach towels and Cannes’ signature blue and white beach umbrellas.

And the restaurants were crowded, but good seats were still available for enjoying good food, good wine, good company – and a little amazing people watching!

So all in all, it was a good day to visit Cannes – and a fabulous day to take a drive along the French Riviera – and I had an absolutely fantastic day with two of my favorite handsome and charming Frenchmen.

Which is just one of the advantages of owning your own business and building your own ‘dream’ lifestyle.  It means you get to ’seize the day’ every now and then, and do the kind of things you’ve always dreamed of doing.

And, since you’re dreaming anyway, why not dream big?  If you were going to create your ‘ideal dream lifestyle’ – what does that look like to you?  Where would you live?  What does your house look like?  Do you travel? Get to enjoy your own hobbies? Fall in love all over again with your soulmate?  Live on your own and enjoy the freedom that comes with that? (Serious suggestion here – if you haven’t already created a map or vision board of where you want to end up – why not?  After all, as the Cheshire Cat said to Alice, “It doesn’t matter where you end up if you don’t know where you want to go…”

We may not be able to ’seize the day’ every single day… But for me, I want to squeeze every last drop of out of life that I possibly can – and as often as I can!  One of my favorite sayings – and the way I try to live my life goes something like this:

My life will NOT be a journey to the grave, where I arrive demurely, quietly and in an attractive and well-preserved body. I plan to come SKIDDING IN SIDEWAYS at the last possible minute, body totally used up and worn out – where you can see what my life meant, because it’s mapped out in the laugh lines on my face and the gray hairs on my head… ! I plan on having a chocolate eclair in one hand, a glass of 2006 Jean-Jacques Vincent & Fils Pouilly Fuisse wine in the other, hollering *WOO HOO! What a RIDE – Let’s DO IT AGAIN!

In fact, if I can’t be a good example, then I’m willing to settle for being a ‘horrible warning’ of someone who lived life on her own terms, and did her best to squeeze every drop of love, passion and excitement from each day!  After all, as Bette Davis used to say, “Old age ain’t no place for sissies!” And since I’ve decided I’ve still got thirty years or so until I reach old age, I’m going to have a hell of a lot of fun getting the ‘horrible warning’ stage!