© movingcastle on listography

• you're in a lonely library on campus at your dream university. the dark mahogany bookcases surround you like a shelter and you're getting completely lost in your writing. ink stains the pages in front of you in rapid flight as you scribble poetry under candle light. there is a thunder storm outside that keeps you and every inhabitant of the place locked inside, but there is an oddly safe feeling that comes with being trapped in a place that houses so much knowledge.
• studying in a café in a city, alone and left to your own devices to focus on your work but surrounded by people and a bustling atmosphere. the place is crowded but not too loud, with soft bossa nova playing in the back. you get to do everything you want to get done and enjoy yourself at the same time. you don't get nervous ordering at all. the baristas know you there and hand you smiles and "hey!"'s along with your frothy order of sweet coffee. in your little corner, your hands curve around the warmth of your cup as you people-watch. you might even take out your sketchbook to draw some people or things you see as a study break. no pressure, just working hard and enjoying the process of learning.
• you live and study or work in a perfect city, you have your own apartment on a high floor, and are more successful than you ever have been. you get time every day to focus entirely on your work and be alone, and then at night, you get to explore the city with your close friends. you find something new every day. it's like the city never ends. you love your job and your job loves you, you love your friends and they love you. every day is busy but so much fun. life is fast-paced here, but it's on your own terms. bitter black coffees in the day and sweet mojitos at night. you enjoy your work, your friends, the nightlife, and the breath of the city.
• you wake up early, go for a run, and eat a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner. you have a great sleeping schedule, clear skin, and you look—and more importantly feel—so healthy and beautiful.
• you visit a new museum every week. you see art and history in all its beauty. you lunch at cafés. sometimes with your girlfriend, sometimes with your friends, and sometimes alone. you meet new people, you experience new things. you have such an interest in life. you feel so lucky to be alive, just so that you could experience such beautiful things.
• your balcony serves as your garden. large bushels of flowers and vines cascade down every surface, besides one area where a little cafe table and chair are propped so that you can sit and read. it feels so safe here, like your own personal jungle. you paint here sometimes, you write here sometimes. the greenery offers privacy, but you can still see the bustling street below you if you leaned your head over. the leaves protect you, the flowers pay you sweet compliments, and you feel a little magic every time you come here.
• you live in a cozy apartment right in the heart of the city with your girlfriend. you get to wake up to each other day. she gently shakes you awake every morning and kisses you all over if you still don't open your eyes. the sun's first rays illuminate her face and you think to yourself, wow, she gets more beautiful every day, and she thinks the same. you have never felt so safe, so loved, so happy, in your whole life.
• sipping red wine with her on a dark night, having deep conversations about nothing and everything at the same time
• you’re on vacation with your girlfriend. the plane ride here was perhaps the best one you've experienced in your life. it felt so cozy, laying on her shoulder and watching the clouds pass you by below. now, you're at the ocean together. you're with her, reclining and bathing in the sunlight. the waves crash against the shore and ease your mind. you don’t have a care in the world you’re enjoying the salty air and each other’s company, you have never felt more at peace.
• you're a professor at a prestigious university, living your dead poets society dreams, teaching your favorite subject, english, and illuminating young minds of the power and beauty of literature
• being on an old train at night, seeing the stars twinkling outside your window, reading a classic novel
• you're at an international airport, getting ready for your next flight to make a business meeting in the morning. you're very important at your company, so of course, they paid for first-class and a luxury car there and back. you check your bag one more time to make sure you have your laptop and all your papers because being 10,000 meters in the air will definitely not stop you from being productive.
• you have a beautiful family. your wife, a girl, and a boy. you take a road trip together, packing everything you need and more. you bond so well together, and even if there's stress or shouting (all road trips have moments such as these), you all work it out together and are stronger because of it.
• it's christmas eve. you and your wife caved to your children's pleas and allowed them to open one present early each. they're so excited and happy, jumping around with their new toys and bragging to the other. you and her chuckle, they're so precious. you lean your head on her shoulder and she wraps her arm around you.
• you live a classic cottagecore life in the italian countryside. you're with the love of your life. you have a garden where you grow some berries and many flowers. you're far away from all of your troubles, all of the stress. you're so proud of all the work you've done, of everything you've accomplished. there's no rush in living, but you still feel alive every day.
• taking a walk in the morning yellow when it's so early that even the chirps of the birds cannot be heard