Redefining Fairy Tales

Happiness is a choice.

It may not always be the easiest one to make, and you may have to make it a few hundred times on the hardest days, but your perspective is always your choice.

As a child, I was not a fan of fairy tales. They were all about beautiful long-haired girls in far-away lands who waited around for their handsome prince to ride into town, battle some dragons, and sweep them away from their misery. I was a chubby kid with no fashion sense and hair that was kept short because my mom shared my cluelessness about style. I was pretty sure I could conquer those dragons with kindness all on my own anyway. When other girls were playing dress up, I was trying to open a veterinary clinic in my front yard.

We all want the happily ever after. So why do we wait around for someone else to give it to us? We can all make the choice to be happy, or thankful, or joyful, or kind. It doesn't take magic.

My "work" as a writer of children's books is far too enjoyable to even be considered work. Sharing the creative process with Todd Civin and Jason Boucher of Civin Media Relations makes it even better. We get the honor of showing the world that princesses can have extra chromosomes, or use wheelchairs. We get to slay the dragons that stand in the way of awareness, acceptance, and inclusion. We get to draw treasure maps to happily ever afters. We get to redefine fairy tales.

And we choose all of this.