While looking through shelves in my library, I came across the book of This I Believe essays from when I was in ninth grade (three years ago), and I found mine. I didn't remember it at all, so I read it through. It remains true today, so I figured might as well put it up on here. Congratulations, world, you get a piece of my ninth grade writing.
Once upon a time, the words that start every story are spoken. Once upon a time. What a wonderful, beautiful phrase. It promise a story full of adventure, romance, heartbreak and sorrow. A story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, just waiting to turn the page and see what happens. This story is full of courage, hope, love, princes and princesses. Once upon a time, the four short words that capture your attention in seconds.
Once upon a time starts every fairy tale, and that same phrase starts our lives. I believe that every once of us is writing our own fairy tale. As I go throughout my everyday life, I am constantly marking down everything that happens in my fairy tale. Every step is the stroke of a pen, every day a chapter.
Every day, from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep, I am constantly writing my story. There are trials, small and big. Some days the only bump in the road is just me being a klutz and running into a locker or a wall. but other days are much, much worse and I lose a friend or fail a test. I come home at the end of those bad days, thinking that it couldn't possibly get any worse than this, thinking that my fairy tale is ruined because that certain person isn't a part of it anymore or that my dream job just went down the drain.
As I shut the door to my room and see the many bookshelves overflowing with stories, I remember that my own life is a fairy tale. In every fairy tale, there are many, many bumps in the road. At a certain part of every story, there is a chapter where the hero is failing. The hero is betrayed, or they fail to complete a task, or they just give up. It's too hard. Everything seems to just fall apart. They don't want to go on. But they do anyway. The test I failed was just a small moment in my fairy tale. The friend that I lost, they have contributed what they could and now they left, to change the story for the better.
Sometimes people give me a hard time. They insult me, hurt me physically or tease me for the few things I take pride in. Sometimes I'm tempted to fight back, to hurt them just as bad or worse, but then I remember that they have their story too. I don't know what chapter they're writing. They could be in the middle of their own chapter full of hopelessness and despair. They could be struggling with their own trial. In their story, the villain could be winning. In response to that, I try to be one of the people who comes along just in time to save the hero from another tragedy.
Since everyone has their stories, that means I play a part in so many. Every person I pass in the halls, I play a part in their story, no matter how small of a part it is. I have the potential to play so many roles. I could be the sidekick who can laugh their way out of anything in one story, or the hated villain in another (that would be a complete accident). In some stories, though it's hard to believe sometimes, I could be the love interest.
Everyone has their own story, and everyone has their happily ever after. I have many trials, every day, but it's all worth it for my happily ever after. Even when things get rough.
"Don't close the book, just turn the page."
