Circa 1980: When I was little girl, I would walk around with my three Cabbage Patch dolls and practice being the greatest mom in the world. I was confident I would have three children and be married to Prince Charming and live happily ever after.
The images in my head of what my future looked like were so real to me that I had trouble differentiating what decade I was in. If time machines were real, I wonder if I would go back to 1980 to tell Jenny to stop that foolish dream? Would I tell her that she would be divorced, have only one child who would be later diagnosed with something called autism and be left to financially cover all of the bills and caretaking on her own? Probably not. I prefer surprises anyway.
Even though my fairy-tale didn’t come true the way I imagined it, I was able to shift my thinking from victim to warrior. With age came realization that whatever cards I was dealt it was up to me to decide to live in a happily-ever-after state of mind or a woe-is-me one. Don’t get me wrong, I get in my fair share of pity parties, but my time spent in them lessens as I get older. I have also learned to focus on what I have instead of what I don’t have. My thoughts went from, “I never did have three kids” to “I’m so lucky to have just Evan.” I find the blessing in the fact that I don’t have to split my attention. I can spoil him with all the love in my heart. Sure, I would have loved two more, but to argue with reality is to argue with God.
I’m curious to know what your fairy-tale was growing up? What alternate course happened to you and what blessings happened because of it?
