Once upon a time…
There once lived a beautiful princess in a faraway land. This princess was as beautiful as she was kind-hearted. She was the apple of both her family and her people’s eyes. The sounds of laughter and the chirping of birds were always heard in her palace. Time flew by, and the princess’s 16th birthday arrived. A grand celebration was held for this happy occasion. Tables were set all over the land, festivities were held. A magnificent feast was held in the palace, and shows were put on. Everyone was so happy… Everyone was smiling, and joyful laughter could be heard from all over the land.
However, the princess had a secret unknown to her. A witch, her father’s enemy, swore an oath on the day the princess was born. On their happiest day, their happiness would be overshadowed by a great sorrow. Years passed by, and the king forgot this oath. Just as they were cutting the cake, he saw the witch and remembered everything. These memories filled him with a deep fear. “Guards, attack!” Before he could say anything, the witch had already taken the princess and imprisoned her in a tower…
The poor princess, unaware of anything, waited in the tower to be rescued… Years passed, and the princess began to think that she would no longer be rescued from this tower; all of her hopes were gone. At that very moment, she heard someone calling her name from the window. “Who are you?” she asked as she looked at this handsome, golden-haired knight on a white horse. The knight answered: “I am a prince who has come from a faraway kingdom to save you, at your father’s request…”
The Truth Beneath Fairy Tales
Fairy tales represent the most innocent, hopeful side of our childhood. This world, filled with all sorts of evil and monsters, illuminates corners of our minds we never knew existed, never even noticed. They reflect life as it is, while simultaneously opening doors to worlds we never knew existed, broadening our horizons.
In this world, where every detail is described flawlessly, a powerful villain suddenly emerges. This villain is sometimes a giant, sometimes a monster, sometimes a witch… Just like in life.
Everything is going well, and suddenly, an unexpected problem arises. Even as we try to understand the problem, we find ourselves feeling like we’re at the bottom of a pit. And we try to climb out of it. The more we struggle, the more we grow tired, and the more we feel our hope dwindling. So, we no longer try to climb out of that pit, but instead sit at the bottom, waiting for someone to save us. Just like the prince on the white horse in the fairy tales we heard as children.
Waiting for the Prince
That prince on the white horse represents the last hope we cling to and our weariness. He’s a path we yearn to emerge just when we think all other paths are gone. So we wait. For that prince on the white horse to arrive, for a path to emerge.
The more we wait, the more our energy drains, and we feel even more lost in that pit. And now we have neither the strength nor the opportunity to try any other path.
Who wouldn’t want a prince to rescue us from that pit we’ve fallen into, to rescue us from that tower we’re imprisoned in? Because that prince is both a hope and a shield to protect us when all else fails. Because sometimes that monster is so powerful, and we’ve been trying to escape it for so long, that we long for a prince to come and save us, slay it with a single sword, and carry us on his horse. Let him see our weariness, dress our wounds, and protect us from all monsters from now on. And finally, we can let our guard down to sleep in peace.
Our Inner Coping Strategy
Fairy tales penetrate the deepest recesses of our minds. They illuminate us in our most vulnerable moments. They offer hope.
Perhaps this vulnerable moment is right now, or perhaps it’s our 8-year-old self… When a monster confronts us, our 8-year-old self doesn’t have the equipment, strength, or knowledge to fight it. So, she has no choice but to wait for the prince on the white horse in that fairy tale. She closes her eyes, draws her knees up to her chest, and imagines the arrival of that prince on the white horse.
And this becomes a coping strategy, taught to us by our 8-year-old selves, whenever a monster or a problem arises. While this method may have worked for our 8-year-old selves, we now feel our hope dwindling as we wait for that prince on the white horse, that hero who will save us, and we pull our knees up to our chests, remaining stuck there.
At that very moment, lifting our heads slightly, relaxing our knees, looking in the mirror, and recognizing our current state is the first step toward seeing that we have the strength to confront that monster, and realizing that we are the prince on the white horse we’ve been waiting for.