Today, while making dinners for two couples that just had their first babies, I had a thought. Wouldn’t it be great just to help people all day? I am a teacher, so that’s what I do, but I get paid for it. Also, I feel like my teaching duties sometimes keep me from helping, hanging out with, or communicating with others–friends, family, and strangers. Sometimes my work keeps me from taking care of me. So, if I didn’t work, what would I do all day? Here’s what I would LOVE to do:

Keep a garden that would feed Justin and me. Donate the rest. Cut flowers and give to others. Cook for people who are too busy. Keep my house clean. Help others with their laundry, shopping, errands. Write letters, call people, send emails. Take pictures. Tutor elementary, middle, and high school students. Help with Ohana more often. Write letters to Compassion children. Knit scarves, hats, baby booties, bibs, socks, mittens, and gloves for people who need them and just for fun (baby showers, etc.). Read and journal. Volunteer at food banks. Exercise. Take people to coffee or to dinner. Work on my dissertation (at some point). Go for walks. Babysit for tired parents. Travel with a cause: building schools, building homes, teach intensive gardening, etc. Start cleaning out stuff we don’t use/need anymore. Write letters for Amnesty International. Visit family for long stretches of time. Host more get-togethers. Go camping and hiking. Travel anytime.

Can I be a millionaire without working so I can keep my house and afford to give to others?

Is this insane?

This is brilliant, especially if I lived in SoCal or someplace where I could wear sandals for more months out of the year. This woman started a business where you can wear a new pair of shoes every day! They’re like swatch watches for your feet. You buy the soles, which come with three interchangeable ribbons. Depending on the occasion, the color of your outfit, or whatever it is that people base shoe choice on, you re-lace (or re-ribbon, in this case) the sandals and you have a different pair of shoes. Some of the color and style choices of the ribbons shown in the gallery are questionable, but the fact that you can tie them in different ways, choose different fabrics, widths, textures, and colors of ribbons makes this exciting…but not for me, as each sole costs $185. Maybe I could justify this when I become a wealthy teacher and move to the tropics, as all wealthy teachers do.