Fairy Godmothers and Happy Endings

When I was at Borders the other day I decided to pick up a new book to read. I started in the sci-fi section and then gradually made my way to the fantasy section... as I am inclined to do by habit. I noticed that on the shelf there were about 30 books written by the author, Mercedes Lackey. I had never read anything by her so I started to browse through them, finding various tales about wizards, jousting dragons, gryphons, royalty, and mages. My Dad wanted to leave because I was taking so long, so I just grabbed a book, purchased it, and we headed out. I could spend hours upon hours in that store =). The book I ended up getting is called "The Fairy Godmother." Yes, it sounds a bit cliched and cheesy, but it has a twist. It's about this girl named Elena who is supposed to be the "Cinderella" of her kingdom. She is 21, has an evil stepmother/stepsisters, yet she never gets her happy-ending. Her step-family flees, leaving her to fend for herself, yet no-one will hire her because of the debt her family has accumulated. Then her fairy godmother shows up and offers her the most unexpected job; the job of her apprentice. So far the book is interesting and I'm enjoying it... but it made me think.

When you are young it's so easy to believe in magic and happily-ever-afters. That the world is this perfect place where dreams come true and you meet Prince Charming, or your Knight in shining armor riding a gleaming white stallion. Strong heros and heroines follow a code of valor and chivalry to defend those who cannot defend themselves. There are charitable Kings and Queens who justly rule the lands. You can find a genie in a lamp to grant your greatest desires. If you need a helping hand or get into trouble, your Fairy Godmother is always there to bail you out. It's not so impossible to imagine fantastical creatures such as faeries, dragons, elves, gryphons, or unicorns roaming through magical forests, dwelling in ancient caves, and soaring through the skies. That's why I love the fantasy genre. The books take you away to a magical place, to a far off realm, and a whole new world in itself. They take you back to when you were a child.. when it wasn't so hard to believe in magic.

As we grow older we come to realize that the world isn't such a perfect place and that sometimes there are no happy-endings. There are terrible people who hurt the innocent ones and tyrannically rule governments. There are no genies in magic lamps to grant our every wish and Fairy Godmothers do not exist to lead us to our happy-endings. We are all required to make decisions in our lives that have consequences, whether those consequences be good or bad. Not all things in life are like a fairy-tale. For instance, when I was younger, I never thought we would have to move from our old house. It was a beautiful blue two-story ranch that my parents had built themselves; with my mother's magnificent gardens, a sprawling backyard, a pool, an unattached garage the size of a small house (where my dad worked on his business), and two acres of woods on the property. Life was good there and we were happy. Then the town decided to build a school bus yard across the street from our house. Our neighbors and the community had a chance to fight it, yet they didn't take the initiative to go to the town meeting about the issue, leaving my mom and one other resident as the only people there who opposed it. So they ended up building the bus yard soon after. The buses were loud in the morning and they polluted the air near our house. I had bad asthma as a little kid and the bus yard made it even worse. I kept getting sick from it and eventually we had to move.

Sometimes I wonder what things would have been like if we didn't have to move, if people had made the decision to stand up against the town and the bus yard was never built. I would still be in Sachem school district with all the people I went to elementary school with, and with some of the people I played hockey with. My cousin (who also moved) would still be my neighbor and I would see her almost everyday... just like I did when we were little. I could help my mom pick string beans and tomatoes out of her garden during the summer. I might have gotten a job at one of the local stores. But above all, I wonder what I would be like if we had stayed there.. what kind of person I would have become. I was only eleven when we moved, still impressionable, and affected by all of the people around me. Moving to a new school was an experience, with making new friends and trying to fit in. Sometimes we don't realize how much the people around us really influence us, especially when we're young. If I had stayed in Sachem, would I have gotten into sports as much? I might have gotten cut from the teams I tried out for.. it is a much larger school after all. Would I have the same taste of music that I do now... would I love Rock? Or would I be into rap because all my friends listened to it? Would I have kept the same friends? And if I had, would I have followed them? I might even be a cheerleader if I stayed there.. considering that's what all my old friends became. Or could I have followed in my older brother Gene's footsteps and joined Sachem marching band? Getting really into music? Would the relationships I have with people that I still know from there be any different now because I would live closer? I would have a different best friend, a different boyfriend, a different neighbor, different teachers.

Amazing how one event can change and shape your entire life and the person you become. But when you think about the past and what could have been you also think about the present and realize what couldn't have happened. If I had never moved I wouldn't have known all the people I do now. I wouldn't have ever met the amazing friends I have. I wouldn't be dating my awesome boyfriend (kev ^_-). I wouldn't have known and learned from some great teachers and coaches I have had. I wouldn't have had the same good and bad experiences. I wouldn't have learned the same lessons from the same mistakes. There is so much weight placed on the decisions we make in our lives, and time can't be rewinded or changed. The people we surround ourselves with shape our lives and even the way we think sometimes. It might be nice to have a Fairy Godmother once in awhile to set things straight in our lives and guarantee a happy-ending. But if we had that guarantee... where is the adventure in life? What is our purpose? Why would we try as hard? It's better if your fate isn't written in the stars, that your tale isn't already finished. You write your own story and decide what you want to do with your own life. You make your own decisions, grant your own wishes, face your own monsters, and create your own happy-ending.