Dear Starry-Eyed Disney Princess

Dear Starry-Eyed Child Version of Me,

I know what Disney movies tell us.

That one day, we'll figure out what we want,

and after we do,

we find someone

and fall in love

and get our happily ever after.

We'll get everything we want and more.

But I've learned the hard way.

There is no happily ever after.

As we get older,

everyone grows obsessed

with the past.

You don't learn until it's too late

they're so hung up

they'll never give you a chance.

One man's hang-up

wastes your dreams,

guilting you to stay in front of a screen

instead of exploring the world

like you wanted.

Another man's hang-ups

drive him to revenge,

making you his perfect tool,

ruining your life to get what he wants.

You'll spend more time than you want to admit

wondering if it's worth it to leave

and find someone else

in case the next one's hang-ups kill you.

Casual sounds like a loophole,

but it's not.

Even the casuals are too hung up on the past

to notice when you're there or gone.

But why does a princess need a loving partner

to prove her happily ever after?

Why can't people celebrate the things you did

when you were alone?

When you were alone,

you gave your dreams a second chance.

You saw the world without someone making you

feel guilty for wanting to see it.

You weren't wasting this second chance

in front of the computer

wondering what the other person did

while they guilted you out of exploring.

You met people you never would've met

if you never left your comfort zone

and learned what it means to be a woman

without the shadow of a partner.

Sure, it'll feel lonely at times,

so you get yourself ordained

to give others the gift

you were deinied.

You do what you want

when you want

and remember to give back

when you can.

Maybe Disney's happily ever after

doesn't fit you,

and it'll hurt sometimes.

You can make your happilly ever after.

You have the power of words.

Use them to find those

who feel as lost as you.

You have the power of music.

Use it to make people smile again.

And you have the power of empathy

to show children there's still shards of hope

in a world where everyone's too stuck in the past

to think about their futures.

It's up to you to move forward.

If no one else will move forward with you,

so be it.

Happily ever after is ahead,

not behind.