Happily Even After

Once upon a time I was a little boy who grew up amid joy and laughter… where every fairy tale I ever read ended with happily ever after. And that's what I dreamed for myself…a life of joy and laughter that started with Once Upon A Time and ended with Happily Ever After. Then I grew up and as I searched to find myself… I realized along the way in between Once Upon A Time and Happily Ever After is where my story is written every day. And just like in those fairy tales…along the way I meet obstacles I have to overcome…villains I have to defeat. I have faced ogres, witches, dragons, giants, and big bad wolves I've had to assail. There have been pirates I've had to fight and castle walls I've had to scale. And as every fairy tale I've ever read hoped that I would learn… after every hardship I've encountered…my happiness returns. Yes, even after the giants have been toppled and the dragons have been slayed even after the big bad wolf has been dispatched and the pirate relinquishes his blade.. Even after every adversity that in my lifetime I have faced even after all of these….a smile has returned to my face…. Which makes me wonder if the fairy tail of my life should read: Once Upon A Time there lived a boy who grew up amid joy and laughter… who despite the villains he met along the way… learned how to live Happily Even After.