Living the Dream

It's interesting that a mere six years has passed since I last posted. A naive 17-year-old, getting ready to go to college with a world full of opportunities laid before her. Well, nothing's changed except my age. In fact, reading just the last two posts I wrote before suddenly losing interest in displaying my personal life for the world to judge, I realize that I have not changed; therefore, I must conclude that people, no matter what experiences they endure, will always, essentially be the same person.

And I must mention that that list, nay, NOVEL about what I want in a partner may seem so lengthy and specific, but I found him. I cannot get over the fact that I actually found the man I'd wanted since I was a young girl. I think that when I wrote it, I envisioned him to be blond haired and blue-eyed, but somewhere after writing that list I started liking dark-haired fellas. I should have trusted my childhood intuition (Children, they know everything) because my perfect man DOES have light-colored hair and blue-eyes. This entry probably isn't very entertaining for you, I'm sure, but I'm sitting here marveling at my 17-year-old self who would say to me now, "I'm proud of you. You got everything I wanted."

The funny thing is that I have only read my "Prince Charming" entry three times in the past six years. The first time was about a year after I wrote it. It was just a random drop-in. The second time was about two years ago when a really good friend of mine told me that I was in a destructive relationship and that I needed to figure out what I really wanted and write out that list. I remembered this blog (vaguely) and excitedly informed him that I had already written one four years earlier. I realized when I read it that time that I needed to add something that wasn't important to me at 17, but became the center of my happiness at 21, Prince Charming had to be a better Christian than I was so that he could lead me. I think it was because I read this: http://beyondjane.com/family/marriage/the-secret-gift-of-your-wedding-vows/2/. Particularly the comments about:
"Obedience means he chooses: Whether or not you go to church."
or
"He Promised to Take Care of You, Where You Promised to Obey Him: It’s his job to take care of you and your children’s physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. He is to feed you, protect you, comfort you and bring you to God.
"If you and your children starve or become indebted or never go to church, the blame and responsibility all fall on him, whether he likes it or not. You suffer all together, but he suffers the most because he is accountable all by himself. That is a burden he carries alone. That is the gift you receive from obedience."
So, while after marriage it's all up to him, it's my job now to choose someone I trust to be able to handle such an important task. It's important because his choice affects our ENTIRE family.
Anyway, the third time I read that entry was today. Each of the first two times, I promptly forgot about its contents within a week so it's not as if I was walking around with a list to compare the men who entered my life (there haven't been many--I realize my wording may confuse some readers), but reading it today, I realized that I am now dating Prince Charming, a man who fits or exceeds every criteria laid out by my 17-year-old self.

And I am utterly amazed that such a ... a ... what would you call this? Coincidence? Maybe. I am utterly amazed that such a coincidence occurred. He's perfect. He's exactly what I wanted. So, the lesson learned? Never settle, the perfect one will come in due time.