Fairytale Life

Tonight during dinner, my ipod was set to shuffle as it often is. Sometimes it is nice to surrender to music and stop the conversation. It seems to turn the kids into better eaters. As we ate, my eclectic tastes filled the room, one after another. And then "Today was a Fairytale" by Taylor Swift began to hum. I am not a huge Taylor fan. Truth be told I only like this song because it is in the movie "Valentine's Day," and I LOVE that movie. Even so, her words got my mental gears turning about my fairytale life. To begin, today was not an obvious choice for a fairytale. It was a rough one, filled with a doctor's appointment, poopy diapers, and a mild emotional roller coaster about our foster daughter. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of day I would brand a fairytale.
In youth, I dreamt of many things. I longed to be a veterinarian, but when I suddenly became allergic to dogs,cats, and horses at the age of 15, that dream flew out the window. In high school, my career dream shifted to the law. I envisioned my own firm, winning case after case, and outsmarting witnesses on the stand with my questioning. Actually studying the law in college proved to be less glamorous or interesting. That dream quickly flew out the window my sophomore year and took all of my tailored dress suits with it. So at age 20, I found myself searching for a new dream. I settled on the field of education. Soon I became engaged, and married shortly after that. The next step in life seemed to be starting a family. This was a struggle for years and all the while I dreamed and fantasized about what that life would be like once completed.
When I visualized my life, I saw a husband who had a great sense of humor and worked hard for his family. I saw a house of children with play dough and toys. I saw myself singing with my kids and taking them to the park. I visualized us being happy and loved. I thought about memories we would make together and vacations we'd enjoy.
And now here we are many years later. This list is checked, one after another. This fairytale is real. It is here. I live it everyday. There is just a lot more laundry than I imagined.