Wasted Dreams

So couple of months ago I posted my dream of wanting to open a restaurant and I've had this dream for about 5 years or more. But when the girls came, I decided if I would ever do it, I would do it when they were in school full time. I have a good family friend of 20 years (my sister's best friend) who owns a very successful restaurant in Chicago. Then about 3 years ago, she opened up a little side take out restaurant version of it selling the most popular item. and it was virtually an immediate home run. So not knowing anything about the restaurant business, I told her all about my restuarant concept, every detail, even the name of it. Whenever we get together we talk about it and she always encouraged me and told me what a great idea it was (can you figure out where I'm going with this by now?). I think it's been about a year or so since I've told her and each time I would tell her more about it.

Anyways, I get a call today and she was all excited about how she was driving to work and had an epiphany of opening MY restaurant. She had to do it cuz the last time she wanted to do something, her dad talked her out of it and now it's everywhere (bubble tea). So she doesn't want to pass this up. She asked me if it was ok if she could open the restaurant. She asked me if I was going to do it which I really didn't plan on doing until my girls were in grade school so a good 4 years from now. She asked me if I had money, um we just had to give my business to my mom cuz she is going bankrupt basically and needed to earn money. So no, we don't have any money but again, I wasn't going to do it until my girls are in schooooooooool.
I asked her if we could partner up but we kinda butt heads, she's selfish and pisses me off but she's like a sister to me so I always end up talking to her again, so she said "i'd rather not do it at all if I had to do a partnership".

Do you ever have a dream where you daydream about it when things are not going your way? and you just visiualize your dream thing, whatever it may be, and it just makes you get all excited!! Well that was my restaurant. I really don't know if I could ever really do it but it made me happy thinking about it, going there in my head and planning it all out. Now I can't have that dream. It's like seeing a movie version of your favorite book and having the actual movie images overshadow how you envisioned the details of the story and it being all wrong. If my friend opened my restaurant, it would be like that, I wouldn't be able to think about it anymore because she'll have ruined it. Not to mention the obvious crushing of my dreams if she does open it.

She plans on doing well and franchising it and she said I could open it up on my own without having to pay her any franchise fees. So that's something to hold onto but that'll mean, I have to copy everything she does. which I guess is not that big a deal since it WAS MY IDEA IN THE FIRST PLACE!!

Oh well, she's rich and has money and I'm poor so why hold onto my dream if someone else can have it and make it a reality, right. But it just hurts,a LOT. But don't feel bad for me since I have a couple of other dreams in my head, like winning an oscar for best costume designer or having one of my bags be the hit of hollywood, or whatever, nothing that will actually happen. The restaurant could have happened but either I do it now or not at all.

Thanks friend, remind me never to share my deepest secrets with anyone!!