Circle of Life

I know. Based on the title of this post, you're probably picturing the gathering of thousands of wild animals, gazing up at baby Simba, their future leader, while accompanied by the powerful lyrics of Sir Elton John. I don't like to disappoint. So, if you can't get that image (or song) out of your head, feel free to relive your guilty pleasure, courtesy of YouTube.

I'm realizing there's much more to this concept of the circle of life. Yes, life has a natural progression, much like the inevitable food chain. But, what happens if baby Simba comes later in life? What if the whole herd is waiting a long time for that little guy to arrive?

Such is the story of my life.

Friends and family have been waiting for our baby Simba since Ryan and I got married five years ago. Ryan and I have been waiting for the last year, but still no sign. Yet, something amazing has happened to both of us in the process. Something completely unintentional.

When you don't push things in life, or force them to happen, you grow into the whole experience. I'm not sure Ryan and I were ready to be parents a year ago. Sure, it's something we've always wanted, but to truly be prepared is something entirely different. I know we're now prepared because we've naturally started to embrace our childhood once again. Things that made us happy as children, are giving us a different sense of joy as adults.

A few weeks ago, Ryan and I went to a high school football game for Mission Hills High School in San Marcos, California. At first, I thought my husband just wanted to relive his glory days as our high school's star Center. But as the game progressed, I saw a different side of him. He was coaching the boys from the bleachers. He wanted to see them succeed, because he knew how good it felt. Much like a father wants the best for his son. As for me... well, I was completely shocked at the super short skirts the cheerleaders were wearing, which is definitely a mother-like characteristic. I was also touched by the sense of community exuding from the stands. There's something very powerful about a group of people coming together to support one another, much like a family does in times of need.

I'm noticing this change more and more in our lives.

This weekend at Cosco, I nearly drooled all the cool Barbie clothes. That chick has a better wardrobe than I do! Ryan had to tear those pink boxes out of my hands. And it's really strange when you're more excited about creating your poodle's Halloween costume, rather than purchasing your own. Now I understand why my mom spent all those hours sewing my Tinkerbell and Princess Leah costumes. When you're a parent, you get more excitement when providing for your child, rather than providing for yourself.

The concept isn't exactly foreign to me. I've been told your priorities drastically change when you have children. I just wasn't expecting them to change before our little Simba arrived.

This is part of the Circle of Life Disney doesn't necessarily tell you about.