And They Lived Happily Ever After

There is so much angst around at the moment in so many places I read. Hearts squeezed, hearts torn, hearts trampled. No matter how resilient we may think we are, we rarely escape emotional pain when we give of ourselves to others. It seems a rare thing to settle down with someone and be happy forever more. The single searchers are seemingly often outnumbered by the still-attached seekers.

Oh the number of times I've said: I don't understand why he/she doesn't appreciate what he/she has in you. Don't they know how tough it is out here to look for a companion, a friend, a lover, a partner? Don't they know they have such a wonderful gift already in you?

Yes, I realise I have heard only one side of their story and there are always two sides to any tale. But really, there are some awesome people out there not being appreciated. I know, I have been that person a couple of times. Did I try my best - yes I did, my god yes I did. What drives people away from each other? Is it feeling stuck with a bad choice? Is it the excitement of a new relationship? Is it too much familiarity? Is it just something that happens over and over and over again until we get it right? Or is it simply that the bubble bursts of its own accord, or gets popped by something out of our control?

The days of reading fairy tales that end with "And they lived happily ever after" are gone, or should be gone. Parents do a disservice to their children in endorsing this fantasy, no matter how lighthearted the literature is meant to be. How many little girls have grown up believing there is a 'happily ever after' in their future? I know I did for a long time, until real life proved that to be wrong, and not just once.

But like a lot of little girls and grown women, I still wake up every morning hoping for it.