Once upon a time, there was a girl.

She was a nice girl—quiet but kind. She had an adventurous spirit, but an insecure hear t, and sometimes she felt rather lonely out there in the big world.

But she always kept smiling, hoping that one day she would find people who recognized all the dreams she kept inside. She waited, and waited, and waited, until one day...

...a magical fairy appeared on her doorstep. She couldn’t believe it, and she fell backward in surprise!

When she woke up, the fairy was leaning over her.

And she leaned closer….

And closer...

And closer! Until the magical fairy was staring through every tendril of the girl’s curly hair and into her hear t.

The magical fairy told the girl that the fall she’d just taken had knocked all her insecurities right out of her. Soon she’d fall into a deep sleep, and when she woke up, the girl would make many new friends!

The magical fairy left, and as promised, the girl became very tired and fell into a deep, deep sleep. She must have slept for two months at least!

When she woke up, the girl already had a friend! Her new friend was larger than life; she couldn’t believe it.

Suddenly, everything seemed so much easier, and from that day on she approached everyone with a friendly smile, knowing that they could be her next new friend.

What a happy ending.

This story is about a lifelong issue that I’ve been struggling with and tackling this summer.

I’ve always been a rather quiet person—shy, insecure, nervous around new people. This made my years at boarding high school and my first year at college hard, because I had

trouble finding a group of people I clicked with and then becoming close with them. By the end of my freshman year of college, I had sunk into a lingering depression. I accomplished a lot during my first year, but I finished exams and started summer in a state of distraction. I was

unmotivated, often crying, and entirely confused as to why I was even upset.

My depression lasted two months (just like the two months the girl slept in the story), and after a lot of support from my family and friends, I was able to pull myself out of it and regain my

passions and motivations. As my depression ended, I began to realize that only I could change my life to make myself happy. I was upset that I didn’t have friends, but I was too scared to

approach people that interested me, because I always belittled myself. After I lost two months this realization meant everything, and I suddenly snapped out of my insecurity—much like magic

had cured me.

It all seems a little silly when I present it in this manner. But this lesson has already been incredibly important in my life. I am finally making friends and pursuing people that interest me. In just a few weeks I have reached out to half a dozen people and begun forming friendships

with all of them. I am finally taking charge, and it’s such an amazing feeling.