I’ve mentioned a few times here that one of my childhood dreams was to marry George Michael. I’ve also mentioned that it’s probably for the best that never worked out since he’s (a) gay and (b) clearly very troubled.
There’s a Garth Brooks song called “Unanswered Prayers” that totally makes me cry every time I hear it, about a man running into his high school girlfriend, and how he had wanted nothing more than to be with her forever, and then turning to look at his wife and thanking God for not answering those prayers, because he loves his wife so very much.
I KNOW. You’re crying right now, aren’t you?
Here, listen to it while you read the rest of the post.
One of the reasons I’m a writer is because I’m an incurable daydreamer. I’m creeping towards forty and I still daydream all the time, usually when I really ought to be doing something more productive.
I’m at the point now where I can realize that it’s really best that some of those daydreams didn’t come true. Not only did I want to marry George Michael, but I wanted to be a singer or an actress (I would have been miserable), wanted to have kids with a few guys I dated (and promptly realized I was completely incompatible with and broke up with)…you get the idea. Sometimes dreams are better when they stay that way.
What are the dreams you’re glad didn’t come true?
Any dream that involved Mr. Barlow from Salem’s Lot….
Errr….yeah, I think that’s a good one! Stephen King gave me some serious nightmares when I was little. Hazards of being a precocious reader.
That is one of my favorite songs ever! It’s so, so true, and it makes me tear up every time I hear it. Thank God my childhood prayers were most often left unanswered, because otherwise I’d be married to Davy Jones (of The Monkees) or David Cassidy (of The Partridge Family). *shudders*
Yeah, that song is a big weep-fest!
Have you read Allison Pearson’s I Think I Love You? It’s all about David Cassidy, and it’s FABulous.
So true! If I had married my high school sweet heart, I would have settled down in to married life and never learned to live on my own. I’m also certain that I would have never grown to be who I am today.
I’m constantly amazed by how every little decision you make takes you down a series of paths – for better or for worse!
Did you and I share a brain growing up? We would have fought bitterly over dear George back in the day. I actually dreamed of him last night, which is rather serendipitous.
I also thought I’d marry both my high school boyfriend and college boyfriend. They’re both good friends now, but WOW would they have been bad forever choices. I once desperately wanted to remain childless forever — that would have been the biggest tragedy ever, since Miss M is my greatest delight.
Yes, barring some tragedies for which I can find no excuse, I do think most everything happens for a reason — we just can’t see it at the time.
Are we still sharing a brain? That would explain my forgetfulness.
I completely agree – I’m all about things happening for a reason. Like I just said to Missy above, every decision we make takes us somewhere, and sometimes that’s just the universe’s way of saying, “You need to do this now.”
Have you ever heard: Coincidences are God’s way of remaining anonymous.
I think some daydreams are meant to make us wise.
No! I love that!
And thank you for coming by – I miss you lots!
Well, I wanted to be Queen Guinivere till she had to chop all her hair off. I wanted to be Jane Eyre, although I would have probably married Mr. Rochester even with the mad wife in the attic, which would have watered down the morality of the story considerably. Naturally I wanted to be Alice and fall down that rabbit hole and I wanted to be Jane Banks and follow Mary Poppins round London.
I suppose by now you see the pattern – all the people I wanted to be were fictional. This presented a bit of a problem.
On the up side though, I did marry the man that I sighed over as a teenager. Not many people can say that I suppose. Still married. Still sighing.
Oh, so perfect. I wanted to date Harold Lauder in The Stand. It took me a while to learn the difference between “dating” someone and “saving” them, but I finally did.
And just think, if all your dreams had come true, you’d be a bald-headed woman married to a very moody and controlling man, living in London with lots of crazy talking animals. So it’s all for the best.
I am neither a huge country music fan nor an uber-religious person, but I have been OBSESSED with that song these last few months as I’ve been going through a divorce. So very, very, VERY true! Thanks for posting it 🙂
Tawna
Garth Brooks can be right on when he puts his mind to it.
George Michael, check. But come on–the FAITH album? Who could blame a girl for falling?!
I would throw my hat in the relationships-that-didn’t-work-out-worked-out-for-the-best ring, too. On another note, I had the privilege of working with a wonderful agent in my early 20’s who loved my writing and wanted to move me into the next level, but life stepped in and I had to step out. For a long time I looked back on that dream deferred and was always crushed with regret. It took me fifteen more years to connect with my current agent (who is tremendous!) and I am grateful for timing being what it was–there’s no question I wasn’t ready for representation (let alone publication!) at that time and while the opportunity was there, it might not have worked out as well as it did with more years of writing (and living!) under my belt.
Oh, I fell long before Faith! Am I dating myself by saying that? Am I dating myself by mentioning that I’m old enough to date myself by saying something?
I had a similar early publishing close call, and I’m also glad it didn’t work out. I wasn’t a strong enough writer, and I definitely wasn’t a strong enough person to weather the storms of publication. I’m glad you feel that way, too!
Several times I’ve dreamed that I married my first love instead of Dear Departed. I would wake up crying because I thought I had married the wrong man. I would be so relieved to find Dear Departed lying next to me.
That’s really interesting, and so sad – I wonder if that’s a dream about loss anyway, even though it doesn’t look like it on the surface.
LOL about George Michael. And, I love that Garth Brooks song, so does my hubby who introduced me to the song (I’m not a country music girl, but can appreciate good tunes like this one!!). xoxo
I cry big fat alligator tears when I hear Unanswered Prayers. It was one of my favorite songs when I was younger and it is so true. On more than once occasion I can recall moments where I wanted something so badly and was disappointed when it didn’t happen. Yet looking back I know that my life would not be what it is today had I gone down that road. I will be eternally grateful for those Unanswered Prayers.
I completely agree – it’s one of those weepy songs that’s weepy because it’s so true! We are the sum of the million decisions that brought us here.