Once upon a time there was a contented village where everyone worked together to pursue their goals, realize their dreams, raise their children and make the world’s best ice cream.
There was one governing rule in the village:
Relationships must come first.
Relationships with partners, spouses, kids, parents, friends, grandparents, dogs, cats, gardens, trees, birds, butterflies, dandelions and all other living things must come first.
When a villager reached an age where self-awareness could benefit her rather than taint her (think narcissism) the relationship with her own self would become a priority as well.
Ice cream was their reward for keeping their priorities in order.
Strangely enough, because their “holes” were filled by having been made a priority, they seldom felt the need to indulge in ice cream. They knew they could scoop up humongous bowls of ice cream whenever they had the craving, only they didn’t crave ice cream, or anything else for that matter.
They were content.
They were satisfied.
They got out of bed every day knowing what their focus would be. They would tinker in their shops, write books, cure diseases, create cars that didn’t kill butterflies, paint and draw and sing, invent software that stimulated brains and didn’t pickle them, and grew tomatoes that were just as yummy as the ice cream.
They would pursue their passions and follow their dreams and make their widgets after making relationships a priority.
Once relationships were made the focus of this tiny village, everything seemed to fall into place.
The billboards on bullying were replaced with billboards about good deeds performed by local school kids.
There were fewer cases of cancer.
Facebook and Twitter dried up and blew away because by the time the villagers filled their voids with healthy relating, they didn’t feel the need to fill those holes with crawling on Facebook or Tweeting what they had for lunch.
Kids played Xbox with their parents; dogs were walked by the whole family; cats could sleep on any bed they chose; dandelions were loved for their sunny disposition; and partners’ libidos were on the same page.
No one dieted because they weren’t using food as a substitute for love.
No one gambled because the thrill of being in a functioning supportive relationship was its own adrenaline rush.
Stress was what happened to box springs when happy kids jumped on beds and happy couples willingly played there.
No one could remember what Viagra was.
Phones were used for phone calls and not as tools to avoid conversation.
Kids sat at the table in restaurants and conversed with their parents, because that’s how it had always been.
No one had heard of narcissism because the conditions for turning little humans into grown up narcissists did not exist.
__________
They all lived happily ever after and once in awhile they had ice cream for dinner.
The End
Tags: a girl can dream, child of narcissist, cuz I am Woman, in search of self, love, narcissist behavior, NPD, Parenting
I love fairy tales! Thank you!
Z,
I’m holding out for a good fairy tale of my own.
As you should….accept nothing less!
The world and I know you deserve it.
Z,
Finally, I know I deserve that, too.
Sounds lovely, but I’d miss all my Twitter friends LOL I especially loved how no one dieted because they weren’t using food as a sub for love, and how the tomatoes taste as yummy as ice cream. Who wouldn’t love a place like that :)
This is pretty close to my view of the future. I am a dreamer. I love finding I’m not the only one.
Jenn,
I’d miss Twitter, too. I’ve made some good friends there.
Alyson,
I’m hoping there are a lot of us dreamers out there.
What would you add to or change in the fairy tale?
This post tops the “What the world needs most” category, among several others. =)
Christina,
Thanks!
Why isn’t it obvious to everyone that this is how it is supposed to be?
Love this post Jesse!! This indeed would be my new definition of what stress is:
Stress was what happened to box springs when happy kids jumped on beds and happy couples willingly played there.
My belief in happy endings is what drives me each day.
Kira,
I’m with you on believing in happy endings.
Oh, I am SO moving there!!
…Barring that, I can start creating that in my life.
Ice cream is definitely a good incentive, along with back rubs, foot rubs, snoozing by the ocean, getting a facial, and many more.
The bottom line of what you’re writing about is love and respect.
Donna,
That’s just what I want today… and every day.
Love and respect and a snooze by the ocean. ;)
Well, I’d add gardens, chips&salsa, wine, a card game we never tired of that was fun for as many people who wanted to play, dark skies untainted by lights of ‘civilization’, love for the earth and all her creations…am I getting greedy?! Nah–it’s all possible. :)
A,
You are good!
Can’t forget guacamole with too much fresh cilantro.
I knew you’d be one to love playing cards.
What’s too much cilantro?
A,
;) We have GOT to meet in person one day.
SKIP-BO!!! It’s easy enough to allow people to jump in and good conversation to continue. You can play in teams too. :)
It doesn’t go deeper than that today, sorry. Sometimes, I need to function in easy-mode.
Z,
We just recently learned Skip-Bo. It’s fun, and can last forever if you want it to.
A friend was in town and taught me a fun dice game – Shitty Dice. We could even lose some money with it if we had some gamblers around.
Easy is good and necessary.