I want to be a good friend. I want to have a friend I can call at any time for any reason. I want to have brunches together and late night wine and curled-up-on-the-couch chatting. I want to make time for friendships and all the life and joy they bring. I want to invite people over without worrying about if they’ll like vegetarian food or if we have enough chairs. I want to be thoughtful. I want to be that person who sends out birthday cards and anniversary cards (on time, not weeks late). I want to think of you and get you that little something. I want to bake Christmas cookies for you.
I want to be the most positive, optimistic person I know. I want to assume the good. I want to be known as the kind of person who doesn’t have a mean bone in my body. I want to be unabashedly enthusiastic and earnest without fear of others rolling their eyes at me. I want to give others the benefit of the doubt.
I want to be a loving wife. I want to laugh with my husband daily. I want to go for long walks and have good conversations. I want to tell him what he does right more what he does wrong. I want to love him without conditions. I want to be supportive and loving, even on our hardest days. I want to be liberal with my praise and adoration, not stingy.
I want to live in a clean, clutter-free home.
I want to be engaged in current events, not just my favorite television shows. I want to stay informed and educated. I want to challenge myself to learn and grow. I want to care passionately about what happens in my country and in my neighborhood. I want my actions to match my convictions.
I want to be the kind of mom who builds forts and bakes cookies and dances like a crazy lady in our living room. I want to be the kind of mom who my son can trust to respect and love him. I want to be the kind of mom who is silly, not stressed. I want to measure my son’s happiness more than his vocabulary. I want to step away from my computer and ‘to do’ list and be present to this very moment with this perfect little boy. I want to raise my son to be who he wants to be, but I also want him to endlessly kind to others and enjoy a good book.
I want to be involved in my community. I want to reach out to others. I want to chat with strangers on the elevator. I want to have roots and be grounded and know my neighbors. I want to bloom where I’m planted, wherever that may be.
The mother thing aside, this could have been written by me.
Aww, Ashley. You’re my kind of person. I want to hang out with you!!
Kathleen stole my thoughts. :) You are lovely, Ashley!
It’s so useful to write it all down like you have here. That’s really why my blog exists — I write about the things I think are valuable and worth reaching for. It’s funny how those same things tend to resonate with other people, too.
I love this and I love you. (These parts especially: “I want to be unabashedly enthusiastic and earnest without fear of others rolling their eyes at me.” & “I want to tell him what he does right more what he does wrong.”)
I absolutely love this. A wonderful list of things to strive for.
I just can’t wait to hang out with you next month.
I love this. I want all of those things, too. Basically, I want to be the best me that I can be. :)
I’d say I think you’ve got most of these covered the vast majority of the time. Although I’m not sure if we’ve ever gotten any Christmas cookies from you ;-) Love you, Ashley!
I think you are most everything you want to be Ashley!! Besides…your one of my favorite people and of the people I know that know you, I believe they would agree you are AMAZING and we ALWAYYYYYS want to be around you!!! :)
Those are really great needs, and very easy to attain. I love your wants since they are so close to needs. :)
Can we be friends? Pretty please! I like vegetarian stuff!
These are all awesome things to want to be.
So many great truths!
This is such a great post. So many great ideas and inspirations here, I just love it :)
I want to be the kind of person who has the brain capacity to think about her life and put it into words as eloquently as you have. Beautiful, Ashley, just beautiful.
We would get along quite well, I think :) Lovely post!
You are an Awesome lady! We need another curl up on the couch and chat day, or go for a walk and chat day!