My ideal home is on a hill in a forest that has tall deciduous trees, deer, small black bears rarely seen, and giraffes. There’s a cliff nearby that overlooks the ocean, and in the ocean are dolphins and whales, and occasionally nice people in boats and helicopters who are scooting around making sure the dolphins and whales are well protected.
My friends live in various parts of the forest, and it is wonderful to have them near, and they all understand that the “Do Not Disturb” sign I sometimes have on my door is not personal, and also that it is not always there.
There is a grocery store, a drug store, a hardware store, an independent bookstore with a cafe, a library, a few restaurants (maybe a deli, a sushi place, an Italian place, and a cupcake place) in the forest, within walking distance. There are no hunters in the forest and no one keeps mean dogs in their yards on frayed leashes. Perhaps there is the occasional extremely shy and nonthreatening white tiger and/or black leopard. The houses are powered by solar and/or wind energy and my neighbors have interesting habits like greenhouse gardening and sculpting their shrubberies and building whirligigs and hanging festive lights from the trees.
A small train runs from the forest, down the hill, into a vast metropolis with all the excitement and beauty and diverse people and hidden corners and theaters and shops and museums and parks and restaurants and bridges and tunnels and traffic and flashing lights of New York or London. It’s one of those cities you fall in love with at first sight, one of those invigorating, breathtaking cities that make you feel like life is exciting and important. In the forest, you cannot hear the noise of the city, but from certain parts of the city, you can glimpse the forest.
There are four seasons, although winter is not too terribly long and dark, and summer is not too terribly hot. Sometimes there are terrific storms, but not the kinds that kill lots of people.
The stars shine clearly in the forest, and there is also an enormous telescope that anyone is allowed to use, with astronomers to explain what you’re looking at.
And cupcakes. Did I mention the cupcakes?
What is your ideal home?
