I Believe In Fairy Tales - an essay

Fairy Tales
Jillian Suzann Newell

I believe in fairy tales. I believe in magic. I believe that each of us are living a fairytale---not necessarily a fairytale like Cinderella, who rode in pumpkin-made-carriage, or like Jasmine, who flew on a magic carpet, but a real-life fairytale. The magic in these tales is different, but it affects us in the same way as it did the fairytale Disney Princesses.

Every fairytale princess experienced hardships and shattered hopes and dreams, but they never stopped believing. They persevered, stuck their chins up, and refused to give in, to surrender to the whims of their evil stepmothers, or wicked witches, or corrupt advisers. Innately, they knew they were meant for more, that they were destined for greatness. And, in consequence of their unwavering belief and perseverance, fate led them to their Prince Charming, that handsome, chivalrous, sweet man who would sweep them off their feet and carry them into the sunset. And everyone knows that they were meant for each other, made for each other---they could never love another more than they love each other. They found true love.

Each of those Princesses---Rapunzel, Snow White, Cinderella, Mulan, Jasmine, Belle, Aurora, Thumbelina---had a happy ending.

Similarly, we each are living a fairytale, unique to every person. We ourselves are fairytale princesses, and just as the Princesses had trials, so do we. At times they felt overwhelmed and doubted their worth, finding it difficult to be strong and brave; at times, when the sky is dark and our worlds seem to be falling apart, we find it hard to believe that the night will ever yield to the dawn, that the pressures of this world will never cease to multiply. When disappointment suffocates any trace of hope, we doubt our self-worth, also. "There is no Prince Charming for me," we tell ourselves. "I'll never find true love."

In short, it is hard to believe that our story will have a happy ending.

I firmly believe that this is not the case. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I believe in an "after-life." I know that when I choose whom I will marry, that is the most important decision I will ever make, because I will spend the rest of eternity with that man.

If God intends a couple to remain with each other for eternity, surely He planned for that couple to be perfectly compatible. Surely, finding each other wasn't coincidence---it was fate. Destiny.

I've heard some say, to this extent: "But what if he isn't the one? Yes, we love each other and have never been happier, but what if the man that was made for me is on the other side of the world, and I never find him?"

God has a plan; He didn't create your true love to have them marry someone else, just because they never met you. As I said, everyone's fairytale is unique. We were born where we were born for a reason. You may have moved a million places or lived in the same house your entire life. God, the author of fate, gave your dad a new job, your family a new house with the intent to lead you to your destiny. The people you meet, the friends you make, have a significant role in your story. They are only supporting characters, but their influence changes and builds you, helps mold you into the person you were meant to be, the person for whom your true love is looking.

Simultaneously, your true love was born where they were born for a reason. Their dad got a new job that led them that much closer to you. It's like a graph: either of you have a starting point and eventually you'll meet in the middle.

I believe that God would only put your true love on the other side of the world if He supplied a way for you to eventually find each other. And you will find each other; your paths will cross because the events in your life led you there.

God gave you the way, the opportunity: however, it's up to us to grasp it and hold tight.

But what about magic? The magic that exists in this busy, confusing world is that which breaks through every barrier---physical, mental, emotional. It may not create a gown of shimmering silk, but it makes your knees weak, your heart race, your mind free. You feel it when a cute boy walks by. It reverberates through you when he gazes into your eyes. Your skin tingles where he brushed your arm, or touched your face. You know magic influenced you when you can't stop smiling for days, when your dreams are pleasant, when you feel able to fly on the wings of love.

With this magic, you don't need a ball gown to be pretty (truthfully, no one needs a ball gown to be pretty). Rather, just as you feel the magic, so will your "true love," and they will find you more beautiful than any glittering dress or glass slipper. And just as God made someone perfectly compatible to you, that someone will love you regardless of your shortcomings. The Princesses weren't perfect, and neither were their Prince Charmings, but just as Disney planned, God did, also. They weren't perfect humans, but they were PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER.

Therefore, despite the hardships and disappointments we face, we mustn't give up. We will each find our Prince Charming. We will each find true love. We will each have our happy endings. With our true love, we will live happily ever after---for eternity, as Princes and Princesses, Kings and Queens.

All we have to do is believe.

Confidence! - an essay

In today's world, beauty is everything. If you don't have the latest hairstyle or the cutest dress or the right cologne, you are worth next to nothing--you are not "beautiful."

But what is beauty, exactly? Is it that bronze-skinned, golden haired, strappy-bikini-wearing model on front of a glossy magazine? (If you don't look like her, are you ugly?) Is beauty a shirt from a high-end manufacturer with a $152 price tag? Or is beauty your smiling neighbor, your laughing mom, your best friend who always seems to know when you're blue and just how to make your day brighter?

Beauty is within each of us. No matter our age, our ethnicity, or the size of our pocket-book, beauty shines in our eyes. Those around you see it when you smile, when your laughter rings in the air, when you offer a kind word, and, even more importantly, when you are being yourself--you, the real you, the individual underneath it all.

We are all--every single one of us--unique. We all have talents, and though you may share many of these talents with others, no one has the exact same talents as you. We all have gifts--innate gifts. You may have a keen sense of the human heart, and therefore always know the right thing to say. You may empower people. Maybe you can easily make people laugh. You may have a gentle spirit, and unconsciously encourage people to be kinder. Your spirit may be fiery, and your ambition could give strength to your peers. The possibilities are endless, and whatever your gift may be, you have the ability to impact someone's life, even change the world.

You are a necessary piece in the puzzle that is the world. When you feel like just another member of the crowd, one of a million, remember that without you there would only be 999,999 members of that crowd. What if someone else decided they were worthless? There would only be 999,998. What if everyone decided they were worthless? Our world would be empty.

You must remember that without you--your smile, your laughter, your strength, your unequivocal capability to love--the world would be a duller, more repugnant place. Why? Because, what is beauty?

Beauty is you.

I AM BUTTERFLY - a poem

I wrote this poem on a whim of inspiration. It may become the preface to a future novel of mine, of the same title.

I AM BUTTERFLY

Jillian Suzann Newell

Beneath the dull grey sky

Above the dusty road

I flutter

I dart

I float

I glide

Behind the olden tree

Before the broken boat

I move

I soar

I fly

I flee

Amidst the bustling world

Without a welcome heart

I dance

I leap

I sing

I twirl

Beyond a hopeless mind

Beside a des’late soul

I beckon

I lead

I show

I find

Whene’er dreams dare stand still

When wishes fade with time

I add

I shift

I turn

I change

Despite a ruthless lie

Inside the darkest hour

I glisten

I sparkle

I glitter

I shine.

I am beauty.