A true Cinderella story

 Good morning!

I went on a cruise for new year's with my friend.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about how my life REALLY IS a version of Cinderella...

My name is Cindarella. I was put into an orphanage when I was a tiny baby. At three months old I was adoted to the Santonen family, my parents are the best! They are my best friends. I grew up in a secure and loving home. 

At school I was bullied, ten years until I snapped and needed to go to the hospital for eight months when I was 17. I got ill on my mini-mission in Jyväskylä in July of 1997 when I was 17 and I stayed eight (!) months at the hospital recovering from my illness.

I came back to high school, passed the finals and finished school well and graduated.

Ever since I have been sick I have been looked down upon, belittled and ridiculed etc. Bullied at my first (and last) job, bullied at university (not so much) and especially at church. I survived. People may think I am week and complaining a lot, they don't know my whole story, they only see the surface.

Doctors ask me questions like:

"Do you know how to use a computer?"

"Are you able to read in English?"

"Do you live in a care facility?"

The answers to those are: "yes. yes. and no." To clarify, I have a blog since 2007 and have designed the templates etc that are on my many blogs. I am also able to use zoom and other stuff on my laptop. I studied English at the University of Stockholm for 12 (!) years on/off. I think they would have thrown me out of the English department if I wouldn't have been able to read and write English... Just saying. And I do NOT live in a care facility. I have my own apartment that I take care of. I have two cats that are my furry babies. I even take care of them! WOW. Unbelievable to some, I know. :D hahhah.

Also, I play the piano and sing OK.

As was Cinderella, I have been belittled, bullied and discriminated. Yet I have persisted and kept up my hope, love and faith. I have not given up on my dreams. I am not stupid. I feel sorry for you if you think that.  I wake up each morning with gratitude and a smile. I feel sorry if you don't. 

I have a few friends that do see my worth, I am grateful for them. And even if I would be completely unintelligent and uneducated, it wouldn't make me less worthy or wouldn't diminish my worth as a person. I try to learn new things. It is not impossible for me to learn new things, I am sorry if some people see problems that are simply not there. Maybe they should get glasses, both physical glasses as well as emotional, mental and spiritual, intellectual...

The day will come when I will be vindicated. I don't need anyone's approval or permission to be myself. I have confidence in myself. I am not ashamed of myself, I am not sorry for being me. I am so lucky and blessed.

That was my rant. More later!