Today is a day to be glad that I took off that Cinderella dress all those years ago….

While Cinderella is a classic story that has brought joy to many children as a model for how to live my life it did not work out so well. Cinderella did not teach me to stand up for myself and seize the day. Her life was a series of unfortunate events that she seemed to have no control over. She lost both her parents and was left under the care of an evil stepmother and her wretched daughters. She tried to make the best of it and dreamed of a day when she would be free. Then when the perfect opportunity came to have a night out in society she was again at the mercy of circumstances beyond her control. Then poof, her luck has changed the fairy god mother finally decided to make an appearance and grant Cinderella a one night reprieve from her bleak existence, it did however have its limitations, powerful magic apparently has a shelf life. 

            Once at the ball she met the prince are they were obviously soul mates and could not be separated, well, that is until the magic was about to wear off. Rather than tell her soul mate the truth about who she is and trust that their love is real she runs away back to safety of what she knows. We all know I think what happens next she is the only one with the right size feet and all is well for ever after. 

            I too use to feel that my perfect life was just on the other side of a miracle. I was married with two small children and I lived in a small community with I believed there were limited opportunities for me. I often felt trapped, overwhelmed with depression and blamed my husband, the economy, my parents and anything else for my low self-worth. My fairy god mother of choice was alcohol. That magic came at a very big price. Once I put that aside I began to slowly take control of my own destiny. I did this by reading books on spirituality, enrolling in distance education and learning to heal the past. I became the hero I had been looking for and my husband and family were there to support me and glad to see that I was  beginning to heal. I have on occasion tried to go back and try that Cinderella dress on but it just doesn’t feel right. I love life, my husband, family and community because I am first able to love myself. 

Rosetta Sanders