Elon Musk Dreams of Going to Mars. I Dream of Feeling Normal.

I couldn’t help but chuckle when I first read about Elon Musk’s plan to colonize the planet Mars.

Not because I don’t think it’s realistic. I’m sure if you took a national poll in 1960, let alone 1968, on whether you thought man walking on the moon was possible, most would have disagreed. But on July 21, 1969, it happened, so I keep an open mind to the possibility of Mars being colonized one day.

What caused my amusement was the price tag: Musk estimates a trip to Mars will cost about $10 billion per person. Yes, that’s billion.

My first reaction was — for that amount of money — couldn’t I just buy a planet?

However, by the time I had finished reading about Musk’s Mars ambitions, I realized he was selling more than just a trip to Mars, he was selling an experience.

It’s the big dream of being free from problems of your current life — a trip to where no person has ever been. It’s chance to start over — to be a new you — in the confines of a new world.

It can be inspiring to hear someone so enthusiastically detail their dream, and it got me thinking about my own “out there” experience.

But for me, I don’t dream of a trip to Mars. I’m just looking for a normal experience.

Although I’m content with my life on the planet Earth, I oh so miss just feeling normal. So allow me to follow Musk’s lead and do some audacious dreaming of my own:

I’d love to go one whole day where …

• I didn’t feel tired.

• I wasn’t in regular pain.

• I could stand and play with my children without my leg feeling like it was on fire.

• I could fall asleep easily … and feel rested in the morning.

• My vision didn’t routinely get blurry.

• My children didn’t have to watch me grimace as I got another shooting pain in my head/arms/hands/legs/feet.

• My wife didn’t have to massage my achy legs and feet at night.

• I had no bouts with vertigo.

• I didn’t struggle to find simple words or remember names of people, places and things.

• I felt no tingling, spasms or tremors.

• My legs didn’t give out on me.

• I took no medicine. Not one shot or pill. None!

So, really, my vision and Musk’s vision aren’t that different.

We are both looking towards the future with a bold and optimistic lens. We both envision a new reality. His price tag is around $10 billion, and I suspect the cure for multiple sclerosis (MS) could cost at least that much.

The good news is, with mine, no intergalactic travel is required.

Follow this journey on A Life Less Traveled.

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