Do you remember when you were a child? When everything seemed so simple and so routine? Our parents took all our worries away and we simply enjoyed life. Those days were so carefree and so magical. Of course we never realized it back then. After all, we were in such a hurry to grow up.

And then came those teenage years. More of a challenge but still blissful. Testing and seeing how far we could push the envelope. We now had more freedom and it many cases far too much. Eager to explore, we were often ruthless and reckless.

All too soon those years came to an end and we were full-fledged adults. We now had responsibilities along with our independence. We now were encouraged more than ever to conform to society’s norms. And when children came along we became role models and mentors.

Life does not always go as planned. We often discover that there is no happily ever after as we had once believed. Stress becomes our constant companion and not necessarily our best friend. Consequently we find ourselves struggling to meet the expectations of others and accept society’s norms, which in turn causes a myriad of problems.

We often feel that happily ever after exists only in fairy tales, until one day our eyes are opened and we are able to envision a life that is amazingly different from any type of existence we ever believed possible. Better still, it is easily within our grasp. The big question here is whether or not we take that giant leap and embrace the risk. 

I did. I know that my family and many of my friends do not understand my lifestyle. They think it is a stage I am going through and that one day I will come out of it and return to their concept of reality. However, ever the non-conformist, I know that I have changed too much to ever regress back to that type of life.  And their disapproval and criticism are meaningless to me, even in the face of this most recent gigantic curve ball. 

Like all other curve balls thrown at me in my life, it cannot stay up in the air forever. It actually began its slow descent on a convoluted path yesterday morning. And I must be patient.