A couple of years ago I spent 11 glorious days in Paris, France. It was a lucky break for me, a friend of mine who grew up there was having a birthday and decided that his big bash would be at his mom’s home. All I had to do was buy a plane ticket and he’d take care of the accommodations. I had never been to Europe before and never really had the time nor the funds to travel anywhere that far away in at least 2 decades so now was my chance! I picked up a Lonely Planet guide to Paris, decided what I wanted to do and what I wanted to see there, calculated how much cash I’d need and looked at my savings. I didn’t have enough so my boyfriend pitched in for the plane ticket (that would count as my Christmas gift that year, he said). So, on December 14 of 2006, off I went to help my friend celebrate another year on earth and see the Eiffel Tower.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I vacation with a vengeance. I guess when you hardly ever get to go anywhere, when you do get to go, you make the most of it, seeing everything the place has to offer, experiencing everything you can. Paris is a great city, so much to see and do; sight-see and take tours of the museums and landmarks, lounge in the cafes, eat at fine restaurants, and of course, shop. But that city is also pretty darn expensive. Even with my hotel paid for, I was on a tight budget. I decided what I really wanted was to sight-see so I spent my money on a metro pass, a day trip to Versailles, and tickets to the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, and other museums. After buying all of these, no joke, I was broke. I was so broke, I was eating one meal a day courtesy of the local street market close to the hotel where I’d buy a big wedge of cheese and wrap it in paper and hide it under my hotel room bed. In the mornings, I’d snitch a baguette from the hotel’s breakfast nook. But underneath my lightheadedness, I was truly and utterly happy.

When I got back home, I told my friends about my food and cash issues and they said, “OMG, you went to Paris and didn’t eat as much as you could or buy any designer whatever at all?!?” No, I spent all my money on what I really wanted, it was a choice I made and I was very happy with it. Why would I let anyone dictate to me how my Paris experience should look like?

I guess this brings me to the point of this post - what do I really want NOW? It’s a new year and I look back and realize that maybe I don’t want what I thought I wanted when I was younger: to own a home with the white picket fence, drive a comfy car, have a nice stable, high-paying job. I think I wanted those things because that was what society tells people they should want. But maybe I really want is to do my own thing. Maybe I want my own small business that might be a little more volatile than that high-paying job, but then I’d be my own boss. Maybe a house in the burbs is a little too much responsibility for me, maybe I’d rather rent and move whenever I take the fancy. Maybe I don’t need a car all that often, and if I do, there are car co-ops. This 2010 I’m going to truly evaluate what it is I want and live my life according to that, however unconventional it might be to others.

Happy New Year, everyone! May all that you truly desire come to you this 2010.