I have a gigantic map tacked delicately into the wall above my bed. A dull brown canvas covered in exotic, extravagant, and extraordinary places, mocks me, as I accept my routine of normalcy in Nowhere, Indiana. Each night, like clockwork, I crawl into bed and slip into a sleep deep enough to whisk me away.

My eyes open and I’m in Paris. The lights, warm in their glow, illuminate my walk as I peruse down the street. I step to the slow beat of a saxophone, following the scent of the bakery on the street corner. Everyone here seems to outpour love. The Eiffel Tower glistens in the reflection of my eyes as I close my eyes to soak in the moment.

In a moment as swift as a blink, I’m in Greece. The air is warm, and I taste the salt from the sea. The landscape before me is dotted with more colors than I’ve ever seen in my life. I feel free from the constraints of life that once barricaded me. The Earth-shattering blue of the ocean fades to green to cream as it slowly touches the tip of my toes. I feel myself drifting as I close my eyes to dive to let the sea consume me.

One again, I’m awoken by a dramatic change in scene. My heartbeat slows in my chest as I take in the view that’s suddenly before me. A canyon, so large, it can only be known as grand. As I sit, I wish my eyes were bigger and my life was longer. I want to keep this moment forever. I photograph it in my mind and hang it on the walls of my brain. I want to sit here and think about what life means. How does one, so small, compare to something so beautifully profound? As I lose myself deep in thought, I feel myself changing, yearning, and growing.

I open my eyes to realized I haven’t moved an inch. Back in the bed I have come to know so well. The mundaneness of life fuels my passion to dream the dreams that come true.