A (Not So) Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, in a time not so long ago there lived a girl. This girl was your average American girl. Not super model gorgeous, but she could hold her own. This girl thought she had it all. She was smart, funny, had a great job, wonderful friends, and smart kids. Who could ask for anything more?

One day the girl was walking through the forest (okay probably WalMart) and she stumbled upon a young man. He was a nice looking young man but nothing compared to some of the other young men she had met in her life. She chatted with him awhile. Found out he lived in a cottage nearby and walked this same path most everyday. The young girl said good-bye and went on her way. She didn't think much about the man again.

A few short days later, she stumbled across the same young man walking in the forest. She was pleasantly surprised to see him and they took a walk together talking the whole time. And soon, a friendship bloomed.

See the young girl and man had so much in common. They talked easily together and laughed together so much. They soon found out they were what some would call kindred spirits.

As the friendship grew the girl realized something. She realized that she had indeed been missing something in her life. She had been missing someone to share it with. See, this girl didn't really think she needed love, affection, and companionship from anyone. But what she found in the young man made her heart bloom into something she had never known existed.

Time passed, and the relationship became more intense, and serious. They young girl and man ate dinner together, played games, and watched movies together. They even talked about their dream of getting married on the beach.

But on tragic day, the young man told the girl that he was leaving. That he had been called to something in another land far away. He told her that this calling on his life was so great it superseded his love for her. He told her he would be leaving and never returning.

The girl was devastated. She was angry at him, at herself for feeling these things. She was furious that he would tell her the things he told her, make the promises he did, only to break her heart in the end. She didn't understand why he would go to all the trouble of building a relationship only to end it. She wouldn't be hurting so badly if he had left her alone in the first place. I mean, remember back to the beginning, the young girl didn't think much of him at first.

So the day came and the young man left. And the girl was left with her shattered heart and the job of trying to pick up the pieces. She vowed never to love again, she raged, she cried, and yelled. She even got really drunk and nursed a terrible hangover the next day. She thought about following him and begging him to come back.

So now the girl is on a new journey. This new journey will take all the strength she possess and them some. This journey is the journey of healing. Healing her broken heart and mind. Learning to forgive and let go. Learning to move on. And most importantly, learning that life can indeed be lived without the young man. As she sits at the beginning of this journey, she looks down the long road and doesn't see any hope of making it. She feels defeated before she even begins. But, she reminds herself, that if she starts now, soon she will be halfway down the road, and before long she will be at the end.

She even lets herself wonder if there is another young man out there. One that will hold true to her love, and not let her down. One that will be able to go all the way with her, and understand that her heart is a very valuable possession.

She knows there will be times when she thinks about her first love. She will wonder where he is and what he is doing. And maybe, after this journey of healing, she will even be able to wish the best for him. because she knows that he has a tough journey ahead of him too. Maybe even tougher than her own.