a fairy tale

Once upon a time, there was a girl who thought she was

Superman.

(Superwoman, I suppose.)

She saw so many sad people around her

And she was determined to save them.

She tried. She really did.

She went around to everyone and complimented them

Furiously,

Reminded of their worth,

Reached out to them desperately in every way,

Yet most of the time, it did not work.

She was so easily frustrated with herself when

She could not do it.

(She couldn’t.)

Once upon a time, there was a girl who felt she was

Nothing.

She had been sad before, but nothing

Could’ve prepared her for this.

She had been given so many opportunities

But she did nothing but waste them.

Selfish. Ungrateful. Lazy.

She couldn’t recover, couldn’t just “get over it.”

It was so very difficult to get back up again.

Finally, she understood how the panicked citizens had felt.

She was not Superwoman. She was not even Supergirl.

She was nothing at all.

Once upon a time, there was a girl who knew she was growing.

She was not a superhero. She was not nothing.

She still tried to help as many people as she could,

But she knew better now. She understood more fully.

She knew that some sadnesses need to be felt,

That it was important to treat herself

Just as well and as kindly as she treated

Others.

She could not save everyone, but she could not let herself drown.

She was learning. She was imperfect.

She was beautiful and she was happy.