Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time, I believed in "once upon a time". Now, I know better. Perhaps that's a good thing. I don't know. I will say that the hardest thing to give up on in life is the notion of*happily ever after*. We may get that part of the time, but there are no guarantees like that in life. At this point you may be saying "Damn, Gwen sounds bleak!" Just because I don't believe in guarantees, doesn't mean I give up. You see, I believe that we make our own luck. We bring good things into our lives by expecting, appreciating and nurturing them. Even if we don't get a fairytale life, we can still enjoy the good bits and be grateful for the superb moments of true magic. Happiness isn't an outside force that comes into your life. Happiness is a state of mind. We choose it. Happiness comes from within. Expecting others to make us happy will only cause disappointment, not to mention that it's unfair to place that kind of responsibility on another person. Instead, I am learning to live with an open hand. I have come to understand the ebb and flow of balance and change. Learning patience is a challenge, but I'm getting there...sort of. *laughs*

We all have needs and desires. We have categorized our lives into "I would be happy and life would be perfect if I could just ..." and "When this (fill in the event) happens, I will be happy." So...in essence, we are putting off happiness till the correct conditions are met, the stars align and we have a good hair day? Why? Each day is an opportunity for fulfillment. Each day we have the chance to live in the moment and appreciate ourselves, our friends, our families and our lives. We have a choice: Embrace that opportunity or waste it, waiting for an outside force to complete us.

"Well, I... I think that it... that it wasn't enough to just want to see Uncle Henry and Auntie Em... and it's that if I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own backyard; because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with."

-Dorothy Gale (Portrayed by Judy Garland), Wizard of Oz -1939- MGM