Our Classic Romantic Story
The story of Cinderella captivated me as a child. However, as life experiences accumulated, I began to see this romantic story in a new light. Today, I fully understand my own perspective on Cinderella and would love to share it with you.
What is Your Magical Story?
Doesn’t everyone dream of being loved and in love, just like the characters in this magical story? Perhaps our lives could be like that—even for just a moment! Women and girls often dream of themselves in the role of Cinderella, able to find the love of her life—a Prince, who makes heroic effort to find her, regardless of any hardship.
The role of Prince can be just as tantalizing for men and boys. Imagine a woman willing to fight all adversity just for the chance to meet you.
But how do our romantic visions actually play out in real life? Do we ever magically fall in love and live happily ever—after just one night of dancing? Is it too much to ask that falling in love should be that simple, effortless, and eternal?
Time for Reality Check
Well, maybe it is time for Cinderella to get a reality check. Cinderella needs to ask herself some important questions, and she needs to invest the time to find the answers to those questions.
First, does Cinderella know who the Prince really is as a person? Does she know him well enough to trade her own life for a life with him? In today’s society, what does she think life with the Prince will be like? Will he take out the trash on garbage day?
How many of us are still thinking and hoping that our own love story will look very similar that of our dear friend, Cinderella?
And what about Cinderella’s step sisters? How many of us keep trying to squeeze our big foot into that little glass shoe? We keep pushing, squeezing, and pinching to force a fit, regardless of the pain and suffering it causes.
Do these sisters care about themselves enough? Do they value themselves enough to be in a relationship to begin with? Do they even know what they really want from life?
These two sisters seem unaware of what reality is. Maybe they should consider that the Prince will certainly recognize they are not what he is looking for, even if their foot did fit in that slipper. And for that matter, have these young women put any effort into thinking about whether the Prince is really the kind of man they are looking for?
There are also some important questions for the Prince. In reality, there are many thousands of women who have the same shoe size as Cinderella. This means there could be hundreds and thousands of girls lining up for a chance to marry the Prince—all of whom are fully qualified to wear his special shoe.
What will the Prince do then? Will he remember Cinderella’s face after only one night of romance? Did the magical transformation that night result in a truly strong emotional bond? Does the Prince recognize the character and personality differences between Cinderella and all the other girls who fit the slipper? Can the Prince tell us what makes Cinderella special and irreplaceable to him?
In today’s dating world, it is important to take a reality check from our Cinderella fantasies. Our chances of success are much better if we can truly know and understand ourselves before we start looking for a future mate.
Are you still living in the fairy tale world at some level?