"Your future is a blank slate. What happens next is your choice. We have unburdened you of the baggage you think of as your worldly goods. What will you do next?"

There was no signature. No logo. I wondered whether there was a right answer or a wrong answer. Unlimited possibility? That is the holy grail of modern life, yet the very notion felt overwhelming.

As I sat pondering the ramifications, the lack of distractions or focal points became a distraction. I realized that this decision was truly up to me, that I would not be able to blame anyone or anything but myself. This decision would lay bare my very soul, like a festering wound or a shining star. Which would it be?

Thoughts and emotions swirled like a gathering storm. I felt anxious. Wasn't this what I wanted more than anything? Why the trepidation? I guessed it would come down to good or evil. Bottom line? Who am I? A selfish monster or a saint?

I could find a cure for cancer or become a cancer on society. I could find a fortune and use it to feed and house the homeless, provide health care to the uninsured, stand up for justice or oppress the hopeless, become a peacemaker or a robber baron.

My mind began to settle, the blankness of the room softened. I knew what I had to do. The room began to crymble around me.

"Wake up! You have a very important appointment this morning. Wake up!" The voice pierced the fog. I sat up, realizing I had been on the floor ... no, it was my bed.

"Madam President, your breakfast is ready and your clothes are ready."

It all came flooding back. I had gotten what I wished for. Not fame or fortune, but the ability to make the world a better place. I took a deep breath and stood up, ready to face my future.