There is a fairly big day coming up. To many people, it is just another day. To me, it is monumental and life altering in several ways.
As this day approaches, I tend to reminisce on what could have been as well as what will be.
This last year has seen a lot of changes happen in my life. Most of them have been for the good. And this next year will see even more wonderful things happening.
As I go back in time and look at pictures, I see a child who had dreams. She was going to be a princess, a firefighter, a farmer, and so many other things. She was so innocent. She had no idea of the struggles she would face to get to the place where she could see her dreams finally come to fruition. She just believed that anything was possible.
She didn't want much out of life. Just everything. She loved a man who she thought hung the sun and the moon just for her while sprinkling the skies with stars. And 9 years ago, that man left her behind to figure out how to live in a world without him in it.
She has fought with self-confidence and self-esteem issues for her entire lifetime. It has taken her this journey to learn that she is beautiful. That her pants size is just a number (as is her age). That self-acceptance and self-love are necessary in order to have the things she deserves. That she needs to stop settling for less than the sun, the moon, and the stars.
The little girl above wouldn't believe the good fortune that has been granted to her either. That little girl would never have dreamed that the books she loves to read would eventually bear her name. That life would have led her to places so far away from her home. That she would learn to stand on her own two feet. That the man of discerning taste would show up and sweep her off her feet. That she would be about to embark on the journey of a lifetime with the man of her dreams. That at the age of 49, she would have finally found everything she's been looking for.
Sometimes, right in the middle of the chaos, Life gives you the fairytale you've been waiting for.