Once upon a time, something beautiful happened. And it didn’t happen because there had been any indication that anything beautiful ever would happen. As a matter of fact, the past could have rightly been characterized as a long series of disastrous failures. Whether our heroine had been questing for love or money, neither one ever seemed like it would be remotely within her grasp. And so our heroine lived in great poverty of spirit for many years. She had managed to build a decent life for herself, and basic survival was never in question. But deep down, she was a very sad person, because she felt utterly powerless to build the kinds of relationships, or earn the kind of financial abundance, that would have allowed her to feel secure in the world. Instead, she had learned to live with lack, and to make peace with the simple, lovely things she did have. But her yearning was never far from her consciousness, as much as she tried to disown those needs. The first beautiful thing that happened was that the hole in her heart began to heal. This meant that she could now experience herself as a complete and decent person, even without the kind of love or abundance that others around her enjoyed. The need was still there, yes, but now it felt more like a blank page than a painful wound. Which brings me to the next beautiful thing that happened. That blank page started to seem less like a future condemned to poverty and nothingness, and more like the beginning of grand and unknown possibility. It was a story yet to be written; a story she could come up with, all by herself. ❤️‍🔥—Y.B.D.