Just believe

"And so they lived happily ever after..." was the ending to most of the stories I would read when I was little. It is bulls-eye to say that my mind (and my heart) was flooded by the strong current of lies that so frequently made it's way to the shores of my realistic mind.

I grew up to believe that it was possible for a street-rat to have a chance at love with a King's daughter; that a servant was lucky enough to have her glass shoe found by a prince; that a true love's kiss can wake you up from an endless sleep; that by surrendering something precious, you could choose between having legs or fins; and that beauty can kill.

And I wished, hoped and pondered on all the 'if's and 'maybe's... just like any other innocent little girl would. I wished to have similar 'Happy Endings', without the climax of almost having to lose him. I hoped to never, even for a second, feel what those characters have when they had to risk it all for the sake of finding true love. I wondered about 'what if's' and 'maybe's' in hopes that I'd have my own love story - that is only my own - to share with generations and generations to come. The kind of story with intense, heart-rending emotions that would send chills down spines and give the readers visible goosebumps - the kind of story that would never be forgotten or taken for granted.

I've never really given Fairytales much thought even though I grew up watching every single Disney Princess movie, reading novels and books with 'Happy Endings' and collecting merchandises of my favourite Disney Princess. I was, I realize now, in over my head. But what was even more eye-opening was when I realized that in every fairy-tale like movie, there was a moral to the story; every girl took a risk. They dived into that deep sea full of heart-ache and disappointment and took a risk at love, took a risk in the name of love. I guess it's true what they say about love making you do the unthinkable...

I know it's not that easy to do what those characters did in the movies, but wouldn't it be better to take that risk and have a chance at finding love rather than building up brick walls around your heart that would only eliminate every possible candidate? 

Think about it.

We’ve got to know that these people, the people we are blocking out because of our own insecurities, will leave someday too. Leave for something better. Everyone will cause you pain and hurt and tears, but you have to decide who’s worth it. And when you make that decision, happiness will come to you.

I had a very heart-rending and tear-jerking night yesterday while watching Letters To Juliet. Simply because in some way, Sophie reminded me of myself - how she'd try to look beyond the cracks of her relationship with Victor and cling on to whatever is left, how she'd engage herself on a journey to help someone else find their true love, and keeping her feelings for Charlie hidden until she was certain that it was okay for her to unleash it.

  

But I think, overall, this letter just shattered my tempered heart and made it whole again.

Dear Claire,

'What' and 'If' are two words as non-threatening as words can be. But put them together side-by-side and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life: 'What if?' 'What if?' 'What if?'....

I don't know how your story ended but if what you felt then was true love, then it's never too late. If it was true then, why wouldn't it be true now? You need only the courage to follow your heart.

I don't know what a love like Juliet's feels like - love to leave loved ones for, love to cross oceans for but I'd like to believe if I ever were to feel it, that I will have the courage to seize it. And, Claire, if you didn't, I hope one day that you will.

All my love, Juliet

Oh, how love lures you into the cobwebs of feelings and leaves you feeling hopeless and broken beyond despair...

But come what may the various feelings tied to love, I wish I too, would have the courage to seize it when the time comes.