Rags to Riches

Last night I cuddled up with Master Anakin and watched Rocky. We've seen this movie together a few times and it never grows old. We both love Rocky! It's always such an inspiration to watch the movie. The character of Rocky reminds me a lot like my Dad. My Dad was a boxer and used to love the movies. I didn't realize it til last night but my Dad used some of the same lines as Rocky did. I know that my Dad identified a lot with Rocky. A rags to riches kind of story. He started with very little and then found success in his life. He was able to accomplish a lot in his life and came a long way from his own abusive past. People are often surprised to hear how my life started out. It was a rough journey for me in my youth. My Dad was abusive and my childhood was not an easy one. My Dad was a very Domineering man and had many rules to follow and was extremely strict with me and my siblings. I couldn't wait to leave and decided one day that I had enough abuse from him. He pushed me too far. I packed my bags shortly after I turned 19 years old and headed out into the big world with nothing more than $80 in my wallet and one bag full of clothes and stuff. My Mom told me that "I'd be back one day" but I told her that I never planned to. I would have rather lived on the streets than live in that house another day. My boyfriend (ex husband) at that time picked me up and we both made the decision to leave our family homes that day. We had an old tent and we went out to the KOA campground and found a new place to live for a few weeks. I lived in a tent and went to college and also worked. Life seemed very simple back then. I felt free for the first time in years. I was like the bird that had been let out of it's cage. I loved being able to come home to my tent where life was quiet and cuddle up by the fire pit with my boyfriend and have a simple life. There was no distractions in those days. No internet. No cell phones or texts coming in all the time. No one knew where I was and it was a very quiet life for those few weeks that I lived in that tent. We eventually moved in with a roomate and had very little stuff. We were grateful for the old couch his parent's gave us and tv. I eventually convinced my parent's to give us my bed because we slept on the floor for a while. My ex was a pizza driver at the time and we lived off his tips. We had very little money but we were happy. Some of those days in our first apartment were the happiest in my life and in my relationship with my ex. This song often reminds me of that time of my life. It's hard to believe how much has changed since those days. I am married to Master Anakin and we have two beautiful kids. We have a beautiful country home and we are financially stable and life is treating us very well these days. I realized today how far I've come since those days of living in that tent. I've had to work very hard to get to where I am today. It didn't come easy for me. Some of the money I've received in my life were through a car accident which left me into a bad depression and a lot of pain for years. I also inherited money through losing my Dad. Now I've inherited more money from another estate. It feels like there has been a lot of loss and pain through the years to get us to where we are today. It's been a really good life lesson. I have not forgotten those years in a tent and what it feels like to have very little in your life. How quickly money can come but also go. I watched my mom go from riches to rags. She had it all and then blew it all away. I really hope that I don't make the same mistakes she did in her life. This morning I drank my hot cup of coffee in my quiet house and listened to the sound of the rain. It felt really good to be alive today. I've gotten a glimpse at death through the loss of my Dad. It's made me think of my own mortality. It's made me feel blessed for these days of being alive and for living the dream that I always wanted of being a mom and wife and slave. There are some really big changes happening in my life and I am trying to embrace them and not fear change. There is a lot of possibilities right now and a big wide open future. Sometimes I get a bit overwhelmed by it all but I'm glad to be here for the journey and to have the life that I do. It's been a long journey but well worth it. I wouldn't change a minute of it... May the force be with you all!! ~padme amidala