Reality? What reality?

source (edited by me)
This outfit is me! Minus the heels

Last night I had an epiphany. I'm Carrie!
She's a writer (I'm a wannabe writer, almost the same thing - and wasn't her column basically like a blog? She could have been a blogger).

Her style is quirky and cool and different from her friends (I'm leaning towards it and try to go more in that direction).

She likes Mr. Big (he was my favourite guy out of all of them - Aidan? pfff, he was so wrong for Carrie). 
Mr. Big is older. (She sometimes jokes to him about how ancient he is - I do that too to my hubby!)

Carrie debates the question kids or no kids - and comes to the same decision I have come to.

Of course there are a ton of differences: She hates the country, loves the city (I'm the opposite), doesn't really like animals (hello? What's wrong with you??), and spends way too much money on shoes (shoes don't hold the same appeal for me. And heels? I can't really walk in them. It's the sad reality).

But identifying with a fictional character? I have always done that. Be it from a TV show, book, movie - I take inspiration, advice, help from whoever I see fit. When I have a problem in my life, I will carry it around in my head for a while, thinking about it, looking for answers wherever I can.

My husband is the only person I will share my problem with and seek advice - but apart from him I need to wrestle with it alone. Only then can I really find peace with the decision I will make.
And yes, maybe the answer can be found in Sex and the City or Harry Potter!

Five years ago I went back to school full-time. I was 28 at the time and disliked school intensely. Especially all the petty complaining, silly arguments and the throwback to high school with popular kids and being in the "in-crowd" (I wasn't). Ugh. What helped me?
Pretending that I'm Harry Potter.
He had a tough time at school - remember when The Daily Prophet ran their smear campaign against Harry? That wasn't a pleasant year for him at Hogwarts.
It also really helped me through exam time when all we had to do was study study study - he needed to do that for O.W.L.s (Ordinary Wizarding Level), and the thought of Harry, Ron and Hermione having to study like crazy as well was strangely comforting.

I also love reading and watching biographies: it shows that every person has struggles and ups and downs in their life. No life is ever just nice and easy. We all have to endure disappointment and hard times.
The trick is to learn from it and to not let it keep you down - there is a lesson to be learned. We can come out being wiser and stronger! And have a better life because of it.

Here are three of my favourite biographies:

All images found here

What these three books have in common is that they all tell a story of struggle, enduring tough times, and triumphing in the end. All three protagonists are strong, brave people who have undergone incredible hardships.

Reading their stories makes me so grateful for my own charmed life - my own problems seem small and insignificant in comparison.

Thank you creators of TV shows and authors of books, for helping me so much in my own life!

xo Miriam