Pick one clear desire before we begin.
Do not pick money,
Instead the thing money gets you.
Maybe it's a sunlit home with a key that turns smoothly.
Maybe it's a safe car with your favourite seat settings.
Maybe it's a studio,
A degree,
A ring,
A passport full of stamps.
Choose a goal.
This is the scene you're about to step into,
Not as an observer or a watcher,
But as the one actually living it.
Close your eyes.
Let your shoulders drop.
Unclench your jaw.
Place your tongue softly on the roof of your mouth.
Breathe in through your nose for a slow count of four.
Hold for two.
Exhale for six.
Again,
Inhale four.
Hold two.
Hold two.
Exhale six.
Notice how your body settles and grows quiet,
Like a lake after the wind stops.
See yourself walking toward a beautiful restaurant,
Just a little past sunset.
The air smells faintly of rain.
You skip through a few puddles of water on the floor.
Make sure you're stepping into this moment through your own eyes.
You're not watching yourself.
This is you now.
You reach for the door handle.
It is cold,
With a few drops of rainwater.
Pull the door open and gently step inside.
Let the door ease shut behind you.
A cocktail of aromas and spices welcomes and overwhelms your senses.
The air holds a soft hum of voices and laughter.
You hear dishes clinking gently from somewhere behind a half wall.
Light piano music drifts,
Just enough to color the room without covering any part of it.
The space hums with quiet luxury.
Laughter mixing with the soft rhythm of soft music.
Silverware meeting plates.
Light glows golden against the walls.
You feel warmth brush across your face.
A host greets you with a warm smile,
Takes your coat away,
And leads you to a table by the window.
As you move,
Pay attention to the subtle sounds.
Shoes on polished floor.
The faint hiss from the open kitchen.
A cork easing out of a bottle of wine at a nearby table.
The lighting is kind to the room.
It is golden,
Steady,
Flattering.
You reach your table.
Your friend is already here.
They're the person you tell everything to.
The one who knows your story.
Your struggles.
Your quiet hopes.
They stand when they see you.
Their smile is wide,
Eyes shining.
You cross the floor and hug them tightly.
You can feel their genuine excitement.
It's absolutely contagious.
Now they say to you,
You have to tell me everything.
You both laugh.
The chair gives a small whisper as you pull it back.
Sit.
Sit.
Feel the cushion accept your weight.
The support at your back.
Your water glass already beads with condensation on the table.
The smell of baked bread and pressed citrus lingers in the air.
You take in your friend's face.
The sparkle in their eyes.
The way they lean forward eagerly.
Chin resting on their hand.
Ready to listen.
You smile.
You can't hold it back.
Speak about your achievement.
How it came together with ease that surprised you.
Start from the beginning.
Tell them about the signs that appeared at the right time.
How the process unfolded so easily.
How you stayed calm even when you didn't have all the answers.
As you speak,
You can hear the happiness in your own voice.
Every word feels light.
Every memory is cherished.
Your friend listens.
Laughing.
Gasping.
Glowing for you.
You can see it in their face.
They are proud of you.
The server arrives with champagne.
Already chilled.
The server holds it at an angle and pause.
Listen to the lively fizz.
Watch bubbles rise in quick streams.
Racing and then gathering at the top.
Your friend lifts their glass.
You lift yours.
The stem is thin under your fingers,
Cool and smooth.
The bowl of the glass is cold.
A soft mist clinging to the outside.
Your friend nods and says,
I'm so proud of you.
You raise your glasses.
The rims meet with a clear musical clink that sends a tiny vibration into your fingertips.
Feel it.
Bring the rim close.
You catch a clean scent of the champagne.
Take a sip.
The tiny bubbles lift across your tongue and break with a gentle spark.
Sense the cool path down your throat.
The lightness afterward.
It tastes like joy.
Like relief.
Like completion.
Set the glass down and watch the drink surface settle.
Your friend suggests a photo to mark the moment.
Reach your phone from your bag.
Tap the camera app.
The screen reflects warm light.
Lean in slightly across the table.
Your friend leans in too.
The two of you fill the frame.
You press the button.
Hear the soft shutter sound.
You both glance at the picture and smile.
The kind of picture that will bring you back to this feeling in one second flat.
Loop the scene again now.
Go back to the door.
Walk in again.
Same aromas.
Same sounds.
Same warmth in your chest.
See your friend stand up again.
Feel their arms around you.
In that hug that says I'm proud of you.
Hear them say tell me everything.
Carry the afterglow in your chest.
And the simple certainty in your mind as you drift to sleep.
