The Convertible Mantra That Died

When I was sixteen, I heard a song on the radio—you know the one. It promised freedom: moving out, getting a job, snagging a cool loft apartment, and driving off in a convertible. That song wasn’t just catchy; it became my mantra. It was the blueprint for my escape, my vision of effortless independence.

Spoiler Alert: My life didn’t follow the playlist.

The Realities That Rewrote the Script

Instead of the loft keys, I was holding a newborn at 19. College happened, but the degree didn’t quite make it across the finish line. The career path was less “ascent” and more “juggling seven spinning plates while wearing mismatched socks.”

And the convertible? That dream was replaced by a series of increasingly large and well-loved passenger vans.

Fast forward 26 years, and the divergence from that sixteen-year-old’s daydream is astronomical. I now have:

• Nine children. (Yes, you read that right. Nine.)
• A heart forever changed by the loss of one of them.
• Four amazing daughters-in-law.
• And soon-to-be five perfect grandchildren.

I am so far from that solitary, sleek loft and that wind-in-my-hair convertible. I am surrounded by noise, by chaos, by endless laundry, and by an unbelievable amount of love.

Trading “Success” for a Full Heart

The life I daydreamed about was clean, quiet, and self-sufficient. It was about me.

The life I am living is loud, gloriously messy, and fundamentally interdependent. It’s about us.

It took stepping off the track I thought I was supposed to be on to realize that the life that found me—the one filled with scraped knees, family dinners, tearful hugs, and the quiet joy of watching my children raise their own families—is infinitely richer.

I don’t have the solitude of a city apartment; I have the communion of a crowded table. I don’t have the status of a specific title; I have the dignity of being Mom, Mimi, and Wife.

My life is a testament to the idea that the things we think we want often pale in comparison to the things we actually need. I ditched the mantra, traded the convertible for a minivan full of laughter, and am absolutely, unequivocally living my best life.

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Did your life take a massive, unexpected turn for the better? What’s one part of your unplanned reality that you wouldn’t trade for anything? Share your story! 👇

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