MY Fairy-Tale Life - Part Two...

My friend, Laura, made the following comment on my blog post "My Fairy Tale Life:"

"Great thoughts .... do you think our life is really even harder? I look at my friends who aren't members and think the path I walk is SOO much easier! But definitely the life is SOOO awesome because of the path we've chosen!"

I'm so glad she asked that question, because I wrote up that blog so quickly that I didn't address this question at all. So I've decided to blog the answer here in this post...

The answer is yes, and no. Yes it is harder sometimes initially, when it comes to making choices which require self control and self discipline in order to live the gospel. For example, it can be hard to be the one who is picked on in their youth for staying morally clean, never smoking, drinking etc... It can be difficult for a teenage girl to keep at arms length with a teen age boy she is absolutely crazy about, who is also head over heels for her (I remember :). It is harder for a teenager to wake up at 5:30 AM to study the scriptures in Seminary than it is to sleep in a little longer. It can be hard for parents to set aside time to read the scriptures with the family or hold weekly Family Home Evening. It can be hard to discipline ones self to take time developing talents. It can be difficult to do a lot of the things we Mormon's do. However, I don't think it's as difficult as raising a baby while single and in one's teens; or losing a job due to not passing the AU..

I suppose I already began to explain the answer, "No," with that last sentence. "No it isn't harder in the long run," because our lives are simple and clean as a result of the choices we make (referring to those who strive to LIVE as well as learn the gospel). When we make choices according to the gospel of Jesus Christ: we don't have hangovers; drug problems; ST D's. etc... In fact, I was talking to my husband about this yesterday and remembered some of the things I discussed with my friend who I met on the bus who told me that I have a fairy tale life (which, by the way was discussed because he had a lot of questions and I was happy to answer):

• I have only "been" with one man, my own husband (and that was AFTER we got married);
• I have never smoked a cigarette.
• I have never been drunk (or even tasted alcohol, or any other drug for that matter).
• I also told my friend that the closest I ever got to drunk was when I was a kid and had a sugar high when traveling with dad and living off of candy (we had some good laughs as I told him about my insane reactions to too much sugar :)).
• I have been married to the same man for nearly 22 years - no divorce, and we have children together - all of which are his as well as mine;
• Our kids are morally clean, straight, and have never experimented with drugs;
• We usually have love at home, and even my teen boys hug me and tell me that they love me. :)
• My kids (all teenagers now) usually go to church every Sunday with their dad and I - even though we don't make them...

OK, if this is a fairy tale life... then - you caught me! I confess; I guess I REALLY DO have a fairy tale life. ;)

But then again, if my friend had asked the following questions (during the heat of the experiences ;), he may not have thought so:

• Have you ever had eating disorders? (Yes... but I got through it. It was HELL while it lasted but I'm totally healthy now. I can actually admit - out loud, that I LOVE my body {rollerblading scars, imperfections, cellulite and all}! Cool eh? :D)
• Does anyone in your family have disabilities? (YES. I used to wonder what I had done wrong. I stressed about life not being "normal." I could go on but I won't. Thankfully, I became well adjusted and it isn't even an issue any longer. Heavenly Father KNOWS what He is doing. Everything we go through can bless our lives and make us better people if we let it).
• Has your income ever fallen into the "poverty level?" (Oh yeah... LOL! But there are others out there who have it SO MUCH WORSE! I really am very blessed. Besides, America's idea of poverty is like upper class in other parts of the world! We have homes with concrete, wood, or carpet rather than dirt, and eat three meals a day with variety!)
• Do you ever get depressed or discouraged? (Sometimes. But hope and Heavenly Father always help me through...)

WOW! I keep trying to show you the NOT Fairy Tale side of my life, but then it ends in some terribly positive twist! :o (It sort of reminds me of Cinderella, and how it all just sort of worked out!) My life is like that. I am incredibly positive. At least, that's what my friends tell me and I'm pretty sure they are right! :D I promise, I could add to the list above, but I just don't want to dig down and look for the rest of the list. Besides, it will all end in a positive twist, and I think that just adds to my list of why I have a Fairy-Tale life. I'll try another approach to answer Laura's question...

My Fairy-Tale Life IS sometimes HARD because it requires me to do the self disciplined thing on a regular basis and not waste time. It means I actually motivate myself to take time to develop talents. It means I consistently strive to live - selflessly rather than selfishly - not just for myself, but I also live for others (many talents I have are associated with the role of mothering - which I am so blessed to have... it is also so exciting to progressively have a little more time to develop "me" talents as the kids get older! :) It means I strive (note the word "strive" - no claims on having it al down!) to do what Jesus would do, rather than what I might naturally do if I weren't a follower of Christ; and that I sincerely regret it and repent when I mess up. It means I strive to live with integrity, and that helps me to feel good about myself and LOVE who I am. :D Also, nothing brings more joy than serving!!! Knowing how great it feels to serve, I wouldn't want to miss out on service opportunities no matter how inconvenient an opportunity may sometimes be.

My Fairy-Tale-Life IS mostly EASY because I'm so used to disciplining myself that doing the right thing just keeps getting easier: I follow the counsel given in the word of wisdom, and am so blessed with a healthier, more vibrant body and mind than I would have without following this counsel; I've never had any desire to smoke, drink, or do a lot of other things which often lead to poor health and complicated lives; I have it VERY EASY in this way, as well as in many other ways; (referring to first bulleted list above. :) And though my life has every bit as many trials and challenges as the guy who may not have a fairy-tale life, there are so many negative experiences I thankfully, will never have to know...

I hope this all makes sense. :)

Any more questions? Please feel free to ask!

By the way, I'm just wondering... Do you think there is any such thing as a Fairy-Tale life? ;)

I think it might all have to do with our choices and perspectives.

In the end, the middle, or first, - we choose both our PATH: Christ or the world; AND our PERSPECTIVE, hard or easy.

Corine :D 

PS. "Fairy tales can come true, they can happen to you... if you're young at heart." Frank Sinatra said so. :)

Update: August 14, 2011 - Part three can be found at the following link: My Happily Ever After.