I recently had a dream in which Josh Duhamel (Transformers, All My Children) and I stood on the second-floor balcony of a shopping mall/courthouse and watched the people below. He turned to me and asked, “Where would you want to be right now if these were your last days?” I thought about it for a moment, pictured in my mind a serene location, and told him, “By a lake in the mountains.” (I actually told him “by a lake at the top of a mountain,” but I think that only makes sense in dreams.)

He scoffed at my response and offered his own suggestion. “If these were your last days on earth, you should spend it in a room full of waffle makers and every topping imaginable.” I could see it: bottomless Belgian waffles, maple syrup, whipped cream, fresh berries, an ice cream sundae bar... The options were endless.

I knew then that Josh’s waffle room was where I really wanted to be, and my mountaintop lake house was what I thought he wanted to hear. (In real life, I don’t think I would be opposed to spending my final moments in a room full of homemade waffles.) When I woke up from that dream, I continued to contemplate the question. Where would I want to be right now? At home? At work? Vacationing by a lake at the top of a mountain?

Maybe your “waffle room” is a painting studio, your favorite beach, or the backyard of your childhood home—or perhaps your “waffle room” is the boarding facility where you care for dogs, cats, and other beloved pets. If so, consider how fortunate you are to have turned your dream location into an everyday reality, and carry that realization with you into the new year to help you get through days that feel more like a nightmare!

Now who wants to help me popularize the phrase “waffle room”?

– Cindy Agoncillo, Managing Editor

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