Pretty Woman

A woman I knew throughout my childhood and adolescent years was obsessed with that movie.  The big problem was that she let herself begin to think of the romantic comedy movie as a documentary.  She decided that she, too, needed rescuing; not from the life of a prostitute, but from her ordinary, ho-hum life as a wife and mom.  As the years rolled by, and no knight or rich man came to her rescue, she became more and more discontent and unhappy, and she divorced her husband and her family fell apart.  Sad as it was, the divorce was almost inevitable; how could anyone be happy with an average husband when they've let themselves come to believe in magical fairy tales?  Granted, I don't know all the details that led to the collapse of that family, but the unrealistic expectations that Franny had, the expectations that led to her unhappiness, were surely a factor.  It is a fact that women now are less happy now than we were 40 years ago.  I don't know the reason for this, I just know the fact.  Once again, I am greatly indebted to my mom for warning me about having unrealistic expectations.  It's not that life is generally miserable, but life is rarely a movie.  Life isn't a fantasy.  My mom taught me that life is what you make it.  If you insist on being miserable, your life will be miserable.  But if you choose to be content and happy, your life will be full of joy.  We just need to keep our eyes open to all the good things around us, and focus on those things.  There will be bad days.  Expect them and be ready.  Fight for joy.  Don't be an Unhappy Franny.