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My life as a desperate housewife

I've been a fan of the ABC show Desperate Housewives since its premiere in 2004. Admittedly, my interest in the show has waxed and waned over the years and I have a feeling that 7 years in, the plot playlist is edging towards shuffle/repeat. I mean, has anyone on Wisteria Lane NOT been a victim of attempted murder, a life threatening illness, marriage infidelity, or financial problems?  It is, after all, a soap opera.  But it's still one of my guilty pleasures. 

A few years into watching the show, I realized there was one character with whom I could really relate. As the show has continued, I've sometimes wondered if Wisteria Lane isn't just some alternative parallel universe of my life...at least as far as this one person was concerned. Maybe Marc Cherry had some secret portal into my cul de sac, using my life as his muse (but amping up the juicy details, making me look a million times more glamorous, and giving me a tummy tuck). 

So who is my Desperate Housewives alter ego? 







Don't believe me? 






The early years: Lynette goes back to work after the birth of her 4th child, becoming the primary bread winner while hubby Tom stays home. (Check! Roger stayed home with Charlotte part time after she was born and I went back to my full time job.)

Adventures in entrepreneurship: As if their lives weren't exciting enough, the Scavo family jumps off the proverbial ledge, ditches the steady income and opens a pizza parlor. (Check! Roger and I jump off our own proverbial ledge to buy and run our Romp n' Roll franchise.)

The C Word: So admittedly it was Lynette that got cancer and in my storyline Charlotte was the victim.  Either way, both the Scavo and Reynolds households were rocked by the cancer diagnosis. Paths intersected again when pregnant Lynette (Seriously? That woman is fertile!) loses one of her twins in utero and is forced to cope with the death of her child. This storyline ironically hit the airwaves in January 2010.

The control freak: She's constantly searching for that balance between home and family. She's the planner. She takes charge in times of crisis. She's not afraid to speak her mind. Yes, I'm talking about Lynette. And since every yin must have her yang, like me Lynnette is married to...
The Perfect (?) Husband: Some might argue that Tom and Lynette have the best marriage on the block. They're the only ones on Wisteria Lane who haven't faced issues with infidelity (at least not while they were married). They've faced their issues in life with honesty, laughter, tears, true emotion, and wit, constantly trying to balance their roles as parents, breadwinners, and lovers. Is their marriage perfect? Hardly! Is mine? Not quite. But I'm happy to say it's pretty darn close. [ok, so if you haven't watched the season finale yet, I feel compelled to shout: SPOILER ALERT!] I was pretty saddened by the turn of events for Tom and Lynette in the season finale but my hope is that they can work it all out. We've got to get our paths back in sync.

So admittedly, the comparisons break down when you realize I don't have 5 kids (again...the fertility!), Roger doesn't have a daughter from a previous relationship (as far as I know), and I don't have a tension-filled relationship with my mother (nor is she a recovering alcoholic!) but you've gotta admit that there's some pretty interesting parallels here.

Maybe Lynette can win the lottery in Season 8. I won't argue with that.

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