It was so quiet and peaceful that I could hear the love whispering in the air.  The mellow trees were clapping with their supple leaves, sitting upright in regal tallness, welcoming me to my dream from every direction.  Natured echoed a splendid track of sounds that immediately put my mind at ease.  For what I was about to see, whether in a future time or in a dreamy place, would require the most of me.

A wide, tall house of a color that may have been red sat in front of me, facing a friendly street.  It must have had many rooms, for I foresaw windows everywhere.  Another house of similar complexity stood on the South-East side, although I am not sure that I lived there too.  Out from the sliding door came rushing many little kids, smiling and playing, as happy as they could be.  “Be careful now,” said a familiar voice.  It was my sister Lorena, who was just stepping out with my sister Vicky and mom.  I turned right to look at the kids that were playing in the backyard of this beautiful home.  They were my nephews and nieces, now a bit older than the last time I saw them.
We walked towards a deck on the backyard and past a wooden brown bridge over a small creek.  The other side of the deck sat behind the second house, where I could see the back of both houses and the many trees that enclosed both of their backyards.  My body was tired, but my spirit regained its strength by seeing so many happy faces around me.  Then, a subtle wind brought tiny snowflakes upon us.

 “Look, what is that?” asked Mario, my nephew.
“It’s snow,” I told him.
“Nieve?” asked my niece Devi, looking surprised.
“Nieve!” yelled the others in excitement, as they looked at snow for the very first time.

Kevin, Roxana, Rocio and Camila all seemed very excited!  They were jumping, and dancing, and opening their mouths, sticking their tongues out, tasting and touching this unknown white substance that kept falling from the sky.  Next to them, Hendy and Brian, my oldest nephew and niece, just stood there trying to look cool, even though inside they were just as excited to see snow for the first time.  Then Leonel, my brother in law, came out of the house looking angry for some reason, and both he and Lorena went back inside.

As Vicky played with the children, Brian and Hendy smiled but still tried to stay cool.  At that moment, my mind wondered for a second into a scene inside of the house, where I sat on a couch by the stairs, talking to someone who I could not see.  Out of nowhere came a small child with a passionate smile, stealing my heart as he looked at me no longer than a second before walking upstairs.  His hair was curly, but I could not see his face.  I looked only into his eyes, bright and pure, reflective of a gigantic good heart.  Somehow, at that moment, I knew I must have found at some point a woman so great that she had erased loneliness from my mind.  I breathed in, and I was back at the deck, on the first snow fall of winter, surrounded by many happy kids.

A few minutes later, while standing on the small bridge, I felt my heart become heavier, and my breathing become deeper and slower.  I looked around as if enjoying the dancing snow and the singing trees.  I heard nature speaking to me.  Then mom held my hand, and helped me lay on the bridge.  Another lady of a blurry appearance stood next to her.  Vicky came rushing out of the house, but slowed down as she saw my pale face, covered with red stains.

“It’s okay,” said mom, as if whispering strength into me.
Meanwhile, the blurry figure of a woman seemed to want to grab my other hand, but when she touched me, all I could feel was the love in the air.  I gasped for that very same air.
“It’s okay,” mom said once again.
“But I’m not done yet -- I’m not ready yet.” I said, while crying with a deep sadness.  “I haven’t done enough yet.”
“Yes you have,” she explained.  “You have made so many people happy.”

Vicky agreed.  The tall oak trees with their infinite branches and multitude of falling leaves agreed.  The wind agreed. The snow and the clouds both agreed.  But I, laying on that bridge and looking at the end of things, was not so convinced.  So, the wind blew harder, whispering the sounds of the hearts of many people. It sounded happy. The snow suddenly carried with it the happy memories forever etched in the minds of hundreds of people, while the very light that still brightened this day started shining clarity and convinced me that I had, in fact, helped many people be happy.
“Haz hecho a tanta gente feliz,” she said again.

I believed her this time.  So I lied on this wooden bridge, slowly breathing nature into my dying lungs, but happier than I had ever been.  I had helped many people be happy, and thus, I was finally happy.  My mom and my sister didn’t seem sad at all.  They understood what has happening -- they understood I was happy.  They knew I was dying happy.  Suddenly, life seemed like nothing more than an ending allegory.  It seemed to have been a learning journey which I had completed successfully.  Joy, happiness and excitement were all present on my everlasting smile, slowly filled every organ of my body until the only thing left to overfill was my heart.  That’s when I saw their smiles.  I saw the sky, and the trees, and this blurry silhouette still standing next to me.  And right there, as happiness overfilled me, I started to fall asleep very slowly and very deeply.  The entire winter panorama, along with a couple of happy faces, started to vanish into a cloudy day.  Then, finally, I died -- I died happy.  I died as happy as I could ever be.

While looking for some camping supplies, I stepped into a thrift store hoping to find cheap camp cookingware.  This store was part of Good Will Industries, which is an organization that provides work and humanitarian aid for those in disadvantage through its hundreds of donation centers and thrift stores.  Most thrift stores I've been to tend to overprice their merchandise, but Good Will prices seemed extremely low and fair.  I found most of the camping supplies I needed for under $2 each, plus a few bonuses....

They had a brand new U-Dance game, which is a sort of Dance Dance Revolution that uses infrared motion sensors instead of a mat.  I found it for $15, whie the retail price online is $75!  The game turned out to be lots of fun and quite a workout.  My dance moves stink, so I kept getting "keep practicing" messages for a while. :)  I think at this point, I am more interested in a motivator to work out than anything else -- and it looks like I've found one at a low price!

Anyway, my total came down to less than $30, which is at least five times less than what I would have paid at a sporting goods store -- and that's including a U-Dance!  Not only that, but the cashier asked me if I was a student.  When I said yes and showed her my student ID, she gave me a 10% discount. How awesome is that!  So, I guess going to Good Will for camping goods was a good move.  I might just have to go back to check out their electronics. ;)