A promised wait for the Knight in shining armor

We grew up watching cartoons or listening to fairy tales. Cinderella and all those princesses had a Prince Charming. They had their ‘Happily Ever After’ ending. Even in cartoons, Mickey Mouse had Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck had Daisy Duck. Pepe Le Pew, the French skunk spent his days on screen trying to win the heart of what appeared to be a female skunk, but what was actually a female cat. The bottom line is that each character had a special someone in their life. We females grew up with the belief that when the time was right, our knight in shining armor would ride along on his white horse. The men prepared for their role as the knights that rescue the damsels in distress, or so the world is told.

We waited patiently for the day that knight arrived at our doorstep. He never did. Of course, there is a simple explanation for his absence. No matter what stories our parents tell us, knights in shining armor do not always exist. Yet, we grew up waiting for that day and for that person who would fit the ‘perfect suitor’ list. It was one of the many things promised to us.

The movie Monster which stars Charlize Theron is based on a true story, and includes the following words.
Aileen: “Love conquers all.” “Every cloud has a silver lining.” “Faith can move mountains.” “Love will always find a way.” “Everything happens for a reason.” “Where there is life, there is hope.” [laughs] “Oh, well... They gotta tell you somethin’”

Inspirational quotes and various promises are words we happily believe in because it makes life somewhat easier. They make us paint a picture of a perfect world where all our dreams come true, even though it is not so in reality.

You must also ask yourself the question whether your dreams are your own or someone else’s. Our parents often want for us the things they never had. When they look at us, they see the lawyer or doctor they once dreamed of being. Looking at all our parents have done for us, it is okay to sometimes make their dreams come true. However, we should never make them our own dreams. Your life should not be decided by someone else. When someone asks you where you see yourself five years from today, you should be able to see yourself doing what you love, and not what friends or family want for you.

We should look at someone for who they are. However, the image is often affected by what we expect from them. A mother may not only see a child when she looks at her 19 year old daughter, but will also see herself when she was the same age. Yet, despite knowing what it is like to have these expectations that are never met, parents always make promises to their children. My grandmother always tells me, ‘when one door closes, another opens’ and I grew up believing in this. Yet, there will be a day when another door doesn’t.

When waiting for the knight in shining armor, do not wait for a knight in perfectly smooth and polished armor. Look for the scratches and scars. They show the many battles he has faced in life and won, and now he has now chosen to fight for you. Life is not a bed of roses, and only someone who has felt the pain of the thorns is worth your time. You still shouldn’t wait for that perfect person. The chances of the perfect person not existing are quite high.

For nothing and no one is perfect. There is always a hamartia or a tragic flaw. The sooner we identify and accept this in a person, the easier it is to love them.

http://www.nation.lk/edition/lifestyle/item/18776-a-promised-wait-for-the-knight-in-shining-armor.html