I received this response from the mother of three young boys who asked to remain unidentified due security issues surrounding her family’s work. Although I prefer people to identify themselves, in this case anonymity actually strengthens her response.

We all create idealized scenarios. Reality never measures up, and so we grapple with the disappointment of a less satisfying reality. Since the author is not some ‘other person’ but could be any of us, the dichotomy between our fantasies and realities become universal.

The author also addresses a prevalent challenge nested within my question. About 25% of people respond in the first person singular without even acknowledging they’ve changed the question. This woman accepts her ‘I’ starting point and enlarges it to ‘we’.

Whoever you are, I appreciate your response.

How will we live tomorrow?

“I’ve been thinking about your question – I have to laugh at myself because I keep thinking of me first but when I think it through it comes back around to “we” :).

“How Will We Live Tomorrow?” I hope we will live tomorrow with balance, respect, positive outlook and hope. I am often annoyed with myself that I so often envision what the next day will bring and imagine an idealistic family setting – my kids getting up, having breakfast, having conversation with me, saying goodbye before school, coming home, doing their homework without whining and playing until Dad gets home.

My ultimate family night is the thought of the five of us sitting at dinner and talking about whatever, but no one is getting annoyed because table manners are sloppy or a brother is too close or whatever. Afterwards we all work together to clean up and get ready for the next day before having time for a game, story or Lego building. This almost never happens and yet I imagine it almost everyday and work hard to get a schedule down that would allow for this. Personally I realize I need to find balance in recognizing that we are a busy family and we all do the best we can each day. And while I think my kids are growing up to respect those around them it is increasingly hard in this society to model that when they see such disrespect for elders and officials around them. But having the positive outlook that I have (or try to have) I choose to continue imagining this scenario for my family in the hope we will have more days like that as our kids get older.

“Putting this in the context of “we” I think we have the potential to do great things if more of us found balance between working hard, doing the best for our families and having fun rather than bickering and complaining about what we don’t have; respecting those around us even if they don’t agree with you 100% since most people are just trying to do what they believe to be right; approaching things with a positive outlook that would help resolve issues and hoping that whenever our children grow up they can share similar visions of just trying to have a simple family day.”