Did Cinderella ruin us all?

Over the past few weeks I have been thinking a lot about happy endings, are they possible and do they even exist. I have been perplexed with the question did Cinderella ruin us all? Now let's just get a couple of things straight I am the queen of fairy tales and happy endings. As a child I would watch Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella over and over, I was mesmerized by every song, dance, and character. I mean Cinderella was high on my list of life long professions. Yet, I wonder if all my countless hours with Cinderella have somehow shaped my expectations in life.

Let's take Prince charming for example....now where in the world does he live because I need his number. I sometimes wonder if the original author of Cinderella was trying to make a parody of men or suggest that this kind of treatment is only found in the fairy tales. Yet, I cannot help but dissect my own life and expectations and wonder are my expectations too high. While I realize that no man will be coming around with a glass slipper to see me,(thank goodness I wouldn't want anyone to see my feet) I still feel that as a society we have lofty ideals on what to expect from love and even marriage. I guess I would explain my love life as well, selective, call me even picky, but I prefer to acknowledge it as knowing what I want. I don't think anything can tonk me off more than women who settle for less than their best. Why do women do this? Why do we stay in these ridiculous relationships which end up being fabrications of what romance and love truly are?

You see every honest woman out there will tell you she too wants a happy ending---her own story. The problem is that a Cinderella story is not a goal to be achieved, but an ideal to strive towards. We all want to believe that the shoe fits, that the guy is a perfect match, but in reality the shoe is always a little snug and needs to be broken in. You can't expect perfection, but there is no problem striving for it. Thus, I believe that Cinderella was an instrumental part of my education. Not only did she reaffirm for me that happy endings are possible no matter what you do or your background, she opened my eyes to see that we are all destined to have own story our own slipper. While your guy probably didn't come riding in on a white stallion, I am sure you recognize the way that you two compliment each other. If you are asking where in the world is my good 'ol Prince C, I encourage you to not settle and to maintain your expectations. Because Prince Charming is out there but perhaps he is incognito as a guy who leaves the toilet seat up and forgets to recap the toothpaste occasionally.