Happily Never After

I enjoyed scrolling down this project called Fallen Princesses.

The woman who made these pictures said she was inspired by her "observation of three-year-old girls, who were developing an interest in Disney's Fairy tales." (Naturally this reminded me of my son who's nearly three times that age and still not interested in that kind of stuff.)

Once I accepted that there isn't gonna be a happily ever after like in the stories, I turned my attention to the moment. After all, there is some happiness to be found there and I've rather have a few bits than none at all.

Then I started looking for the bright side in truly crappy situations. Frankly, there's many days when I just can't find it but once in a while I do. That increases the chances of having a good moment.

While doing this I hear about people who are so much worst off than I am. I decide that life is totally fucked up and the fascinating-scary part is...it seems to happen in a totally random way. (Think "Final Destination" movies.)
I've no idea why that is but like everyone else I have a few theories. I guess most of us can't stand the "shit happens" explanation. We need a reason.
Anyway, this makes the moment all the more precious to me. And some days I catch myself being grateful for just being allowed to go about my mediocre life.

Wait a minute, I tell myself. Now you're having too much of a good thing. Because now you're starting to sound like those folks Howard Beale talks about on the movie Network.

We sit in the house, and slowly the world we are living in is getting smaller, and all we say is, 'Please, at least leave us alone in our living rooms. Let me have my toaster and my TV and my steel-belted radials and I won't say anything. Just leave us alone.'

Sadly a part of me agrees with that. It makes the other part of me more obsessive about reading the news.