A Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful (it's my fairy tale, I can make her beautiful if I want) princess (and of course she's a princess) who set off in search of a new life. Alone, nervous, bright-eyed, and optimistic, she left all the comforts of home for the adventures of the great wide open. She knew that by leaving, she was hurting loved ones, but there seemed to be something bigger out there calling to her, summoning her to take the road less traveled. So the princess traded all her gold and silver for a sailboat and set sail on the Sea of Dreams. Out at sea, she became somewhat accustomed to meeting evil pirates and roughing turbulent waters which made her voyage seem devastating and worthless. She sometimes wished she had never left home. The princess, of course, also met helpful sailors and sea creatures that made her travels enjoyable. She called these sailors friends because they were always looking out for her best interests. Most of the time, it was clear sailing for the lovely princess and she was happy.

One day, the princess came across a stranger floating along on a raft. The princess smiled politely but continued on her route (she'd been approached by many-a-stranger and this one was probably no different). The stranger paddled towards her and pulled up along side her sailboat. He began asking the princess about her voyage and complimented her on her beauty and grace. The princess, skeptical at first because she had heard that rafters tend to be deceitful, began to share her feelings and thoughts with the stranger. It didn't take long for the princess and stranger to become friends and join their two vessels together so that they wouldn't have to sail alone. The two occasionally passed over rough waters and the princess thought that maybe it would be safer to sail independently from the raft, but there was something about this stranger that made her want to keep her sailboat tied to his unstable old raft.

After several days of sailing together, the stranger called out to the princess to dive into the water with him and join him for a swim! He splashed playfully and called to her. Hesitantly, the princess jumped into the water with him. To her surprise, she enjoyed swimming with the stranger! She splashed along with him and relaxed for the first time in a long time. The stranger seemed to be different from other sailors she had met. He told her things she hadn't heard before, things that made her feel good, about herself and about life. Most importantly, he made her laugh. The two swam together frequently. Suddenly, one day during a routine swim, the stranger got out of the water. He quickly untied his raft from the princess's sailboat and called out to her "I want to sail and swim alone now." Then he was gone. The princess floated in the water, once again alone, cold, abandoned, and speechless. She pulled herself onto her sailboat and collapsed. She lay in the sun, letting the rays beat down to dry the sea water from her body and the tears from her face. Why did the stranger coax her into the waters and then leave? Everything he had said to her must have been lies. The rafter was either deceitful or the princess may not have been worthy of his company. She wasn't sure what to think.

Once she was dry, the princess perked up, took a deep breath, and continued on her voyage, weary (once again) of strange rafters but optimistic none the less. She might be better off sailing alone. Afterall, the stranger never offered to catch fish for her or patch an occasional tear in her sails. His raft frequently needed repairing and her sailboat seemed to travel slower with the extra weight of his vessel. Perhaps this was a blessing.

A few days later, she saw the very same rafter tied to an old dilapidated, wooden white row boat, laughing and splashing with a peasant girl. She was utterly confused. Did he not just tell her he wanted to sail alone? What made this peasant girl okay to sail with and the princess undesirable? She thought she had been a supportive and enjoyable sailing partner who the rafter sought after and treasured, as she treasured him. She realized she would never have an answer to this question, that life would continue to be a mystery to her, and fellow sailors would always be unpredictable and hurtful. This made her want to seek shore immediately and end her voyage. Why try to weather the storm when what you thought was reliable shelter is blown away by the wind and pummeled by the hail?

Although sad and dejected, the princess learned a valuable lesson from the rafter. Strangers will come and go, and when they leave, and they always will, she may feel like it's her fault, but it is not. She, alone, cannot make a sailor happy if they are not first and foremost, happy with themselves. He will probably tie up to boat after boat searching for something that hides deep within himself. So, she decided, she must not give up on her own search, a search for a new life. She must not let this rafter set sail with the best of her. She will continue on her voyage because that "something bigger" is still calling to her and no obstacle, not a rafter, not a wave, will stand in her way. So the princess stood on her sailboat, looked at the sun shining down on her, felt the wind in her hair, and waved goodbye to the rafter.

And she never looked back.