There Are No Fairy Tales in Real Life
It’s another new year
I feel nudged to rethink life,
reconsider what is open to reimagining.
it won’t happen overnight,
because there are no fairy tales in life.
When I was a kid,
I thought my life
would be
a cross between
two vast extremes.
The first,
a 1950s housewife,
dressed in film star finery,
kissed, hugged, adored by husband,
lots of children all around,
well lit house
out front a picket fence,
colorful garden and manicured lawn.
The second,
an independent working woman,
who set off alone
to make her way in the world,
fighting for equal human rights,
I could pursue any creative dream.
Real life is far from princess clothes and dashing princes,
or happy endings on horseback in the countryside.
Life demands be strong,
resilience for times when grief engulfs
when loved ones die,
things don’t work out,
people grow apart,
or health is not a guarantee.
Hold fast to values and integrity,
do not stop your visualizing
and dreaming,
search for purpose
because realizing it takes courage, time, and grit.
There are no fairy tales in life,
no fairy godmothers with magic wands,
no magic spell,.
to make me thin,
to help me bear a child,
change debt to endless wealth,
or 3 Michelin star chef of my restaurant on opening night.
Real life has duties to carry out,
showing up,
paying bills,
laundry for clean clothes,
cooking for healthy meals.
But it has pleasures,
those precious moments--
a butterfly or hummingbird hovering over a flower,
a cat purring,
the right ingredients on hand to craft a gourmet delight,
freshly baked cookie smell,
family around surrounding you,
strangers doing something kind,
a phone call at just at the right time.
Still worries persist...
natural disasters,
war persists,
corporations wield power,
habitats are bought and sold,
animals struggle facing extinction,
where to find uncontaminated food,
systems filled with oppression,
the warming of our planet,
immigrants without enough places to find home.
Joys happen.
Dark times equally happen.
Every day is a conscious choice what to work toward and what to dwell on.
While no one and no circumstance
are never perfect,
crocuses blossom in even the harshest winters,
tunnels have an end.
We are not perfect until we are dead or reincarnated.
always growth and learning,
reasons to hope.
Some people find the helpers
while some give up trying.
others some get by on charm,
while some survive by wit.
Take that next step,
because there are no fairy tales in life.
It’s another new year
I feel nudged to rethink life,
reconsider what is open to reimagining.
it won’t happen overnight,
because there are no fairy tales in life.
When I was a kid,
I thought my life
would be
a cross between
two vast extremes.
The first,
a 1950s housewife,
dressed in film star finery,
kissed, hugged, adored by husband,
lots of children all around,
well lit house
out front a picket fence,
colorful garden and manicured lawn.
The second,
an independent working woman,
who set off alone
to make her way in the world,
fighting for equal human rights,
I could pursue any creative dream.
Real life is far from princess clothes and dashing princes,
or happy endings on horseback in the countryside.
Life demands be strong,
resilience for times when grief engulfs
when loved ones die,
things don’t work out,
people grow apart,
or health is not a guarantee.
Hold fast to values and integrity,
do not stop your visualizing
and dreaming,
search for purpose
because realizing it takes courage, time, and grit.
There are no fairy tales in life,
no fairy godmothers with magic wands,
no magic spell,.
to make me thin,
to help me bear a child,
change debt to endless wealth,
or 3 Michelin star chef of my restaurant on opening night.
Real life has duties to carry out,
showing up,
paying bills,
laundry for clean clothes,
cooking for healthy meals.
But it has pleasures,
those precious moments--
a butterfly or hummingbird hovering over a flower,
a cat purring,
the right ingredients on hand to craft a gourmet delight,
freshly baked cookie smell,
family around surrounding you,
strangers doing something kind,
a phone call at just at the right time.
Still worries persist...
natural disasters,
war persists,
corporations wield power,
habitats are bought and sold,
animals struggle facing extinction,
where to find uncontaminated food,
systems filled with oppression,
the warming of our planet,
immigrants without enough places to find home.
Joys happen.
Dark times equally happen.
Every day is a conscious choice what to work toward and what to dwell on.
While no one and no circumstance
are never perfect,
crocuses blossom in even the harshest winters,
tunnels have an end.
We are not perfect until we are dead or reincarnated.
always growth and learning,
reasons to hope.
Some people find the helpers
while some give up trying.
others some get by on charm,
while some survive by wit.
Take that next step,
because there are no fairy tales in life.
