"You're just like your mother. As soon as you mentioned it the first time, you had made the decision."

That was my dad, in the conversation we just had about a vacation destination I've been toying with the last couple weeks. But, even though I thought that was a direct quote, somehow, his statement was more grammatically correct.

When he said it, it struck me though. I *am* like that. When I say I want something, or am thinking of doing something, I pretty much always get it/do it. I don't know if that's because I allow myself everything I want, or if it's because I only voice desires/plans once I have a pretty good idea I'm going to pursue them. While the first is true, I think it's more the second, too. Made me think of a friend who is forever saying "I think I'll...paint the house blue, go to Brazil for the weekend, fill in the blank" and never seems to do anything she says. It drives me crazy, precisely because it seems like she never follows through. But I don't think that's the case, really. I think she just thinks out loud. So, while I don't say "I think I'll go to San Francisco for the weekend" out loud until I've narrowed it down to a one year time period, and selected all the sights I want to see, she says it way back in the "Hmm... it might be nice to someday see San Francisco before I die" stage of the thought process.

But my dad was right - I had made up my mind the first time I mentioned it. Actually, I know the exact moment I decided I was going to do my darndest to get to Morocco in the next year. Dec. 3rd. Somewhere between 11:00 pm and 1:00 am. When someone mentioned in passing that they had been to 5 continents - and I realized my being to/on 3 didn't even get me halfway to my goal of hitting all 7. A tiny dash of jealousy, a bit of competitive spirit, and a huge reminder that wish isn't just talk, but a very strong desire. And like my dad pointed out, as soon as I say I want something, I've made up my mind to do it.