Happily Ever After.

Like every other girl/ woman, I too love the fairy tales, books and even movies that begin with “Once upon a time,” always ends with “and they lived happily ever after.”

Books and movies do have a lasting effect on one's life. Our gullible minds get influenced by the colorful, glossy and attractive life.

Real life is a different aspect it is stressful with day to day problems, no matter how much you plan safe its impromptu nature will drag you in a different direction.

Happily ever after is a fictional concept but I do fantasies the concept and tried to find the connection with my Real life....by finding answers to my queries...

👉 Does it actually exist???If yes

👉 What does it mean???

👉 Does it actually mean an end??? If yes,

👉 How can it be happy when it's an end to something beautiful????

In Context to real life, one thing I knew that Happily ever after isn't a piece of cake... Because it emerges more from the innocent time, place, and people which is far different from reality/ real world. So the urge to find the connection was not going to be easy...

It all started with the start of my teenage. I was a hardcore introvert and with growing age and hormonal changes, there were continuous fights going on within me to know myself and with a deadly combo of confusion and aggression...I felt as though I did not truly exist, no group to neatly ‘fit’ into, had nothing but negative thoughts about myself. Finally started thinking there was something wrong with me and became someone who had no focus, had no real interest in anything.

But soon my young mind got influenced by other people's goals and desires and I choose a path that seemed clear and simple, I became a sheep in a herd...did what others were doing...I thought that if I worked hard, and got into a good college and finally a reputed job, everything would finally fall into place. I was running, just running in the race of life...to get good results... doing what parents/ teachers expected, what society expected...

I really worked hard to prove myself. Although I took a simple road but found that it had curves, speed breakers, bumps, and traffic...  The journey from a failure, nonexistent person to a fighter was not easy. I fought at every step wanting something more from life, fearing I was losing time and opportunities.

In my late teenage what everybody talked about was being independent. It seemed to be a great adventure but I don't remember that I have ever wished to live alone or away from home and when the moment came, without giving much thought I took it as an opportunity that would lead me right to my destination but after living away from home for few months I felt numb.......

It took months to adjust myself to the new environment. I started enjoying the independence but still, I recall the heaviness of the air strikes me each time I returned from college/work and unlocked the door with no one waiting for me on the other side, saying the food is ready or asking how was your day?? Or a warm hug before bed...

I always felt a lump in my heart that kept telling me that something is missing. I felt strangely hollow when I was looking down the road of "life has gone by" and realized that I:

👉 followed a simple routine Eat... Work... Pretend... Smile.... Sleep...

👉 was always working toward goals that were not mine but borrowed or what other people wanted for me...

I had thrown myself into different kinds of experiences...Tested myself and succeeded and I was happy.....Happy.....but not satisfied. 

The more I thought more I felt lost.... and didn't knew what to do, so I stopped. That point of time everything seemed quite an only thing I could hear was my heartbeat.

..... And my pause was like a slap right in the face. ... 

I was left with no job, no salary, no friends to hang out with, no social life...  

Days spent in pause mode were much harder than others. My mind started juggling with thoughts of past, present, and future. Which left me in the constant state of regret and dissatisfaction where:

👉 Mistakes seemed magnified,

👉Present meaningless and 

👉 Future blurred rather dark...

I was at a point in life where past chapters were written that I couldn't change and what I had were blank pages and a pen to write... 

I couldn't let the fear of darkness overpower my soul. 

And then I decided to detour my journey...But where??? and how???? were two questions that were still to be answered...

I was playing with the TV remote and there it was.....A movie name was just the password I needed to unlock the mystery... It was Jackie Chan movie 

" Who am I????"

Everything seemed crystal clear 

I was excited...but before starting my beautiful journey to know myself I had to

👉 Learn to let go of yesterday,

👉 put a to end to all negative emotions, comparisons, and judgments.....

Letting go- it's definitely not simple as it sounds. It's the most painful thing that you choose to do because it's like trying to figure out how to remove foot impressions from wet cement which can't be rebuilt...So the only option left is to learn to

Accept.... Forget....Forgive....move on...

At the very start of my journey... I was in no rush to do anything or get anything done in life. But time never stops for anyone; it's like a handful of sand- the tighter you grasp it, the faster it runs through your fingers...

.... almost a year passed...I wobbled but still managed to find answers to

👉 Who I was at the core...

👉 What things most mattered to me...

👉What little things made me feel satisfied...

👉 What were the things that made me feel alive...

I was in my own skin and free to write what I wished. 

I decoded the phrase happily ever after while exploring the depth of my own soul. I learned many other lessons of life which helped me to simplify my complicated life.

Happily ever after: 

👉 Is not a destination, but the road that you're on. 

👉 It can be felt every day...all you have to do to guarantee to try your best to do the right things every single day

👉 You don't have to wait for something or someone...

👉 It's how we perceive it...

It's definitely not an end to a story... It's like a book itself...Book with many chapters. End of one chapter means a start of new... Even if it's an end of the book then you can always come up with a sequel...And free to choose the genre from the long list.....😊

Life after understanding me and the true meaning of happiness is Wonderful.....

Rest it continues......... Like 

Majhrooh Sultan Puri said:

मैं अकेला ही चला था जानिब-ए-मंज़िल मगर

लोग साथ आते गये और कारवां बनता गया

(Translation: I started all alone towards the goal.....people kept joining and it began to turn into a caravan.)