As a little girl I loved to read. Tales of princesses, knights slaying dragons, and happily ever afters were the stories that kept my interest. As I grew older, the books I read became more dark, being filled with sorrow and hardships. I read because I could relate and it seemed that the darkness piqued my curiosity and I started to leave the books filled with carefree happiness behind.

Thinking back, I have to wonder about similarities. Even though books got more mature from rainbows and unicorns, something has stayed the same.

We all have problems.

Cinderella had a step family who never loved her, Hansel and Gretel were almost eaten by a witch, Sleeping Beauty was under a curse, the tortoise had almost no chance in beating the hare, no one helped the Little Red Hen, Goldilocks ate Baby Bear's porridge and broke his favorite chair, and the three little pigs had their houses blown down. Each of these characters had hardships, but they all had happy endings.

This can apply to yourself too. You're going to have hardships and sometimes I here seems to be no hope, but remember that there are happy endings and whoever is reading your story is rooting for you. There is a happy ending in sight, the only thing you've got to do is not give up.