I have always seen myself as a ghost.

The invisible girl, the one in the back of the class, that girl that you can never name but might be able to place her face.

But this year has taught me otherwise. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we all have trials and I suppose this is mine. It's like in all those stories I was raised on. It's always when things seem the darkest that we finally see the light. And rarely do we know our happily ever afters are coming for us. 

Cinderella didn't expect a chance to find her prince again after the ball.

Rapunzel never imagined she would leave her tower.

And I have serious doubts that Sleeping Beauty ever thought she would awake to her prince.

You don't get to choose when your happily ever after comes. But it will. After all the pain and sorrow and loneliness, it comes.

Being a ghost, I think that's been the darkness in my life. Being invisible has been the hardship I have lived with. 

I'm a strong believer that we get to choose, not our hardships, but how we handle them. Cinderella could have been horrible to her step family right back. But she didn't. She was kind. 

And this is me, choosing to deal with the cards dealt to me. 

I have lived the life of a ghost.

But now? I am alive.

And not only that, but I am ready to show the world that not all ghosts are ghosts to stay.

So this is me saying: "Hello, world. My name is Brittany Oldroyd and I am ready to show myself."

I hope the world is ready for me.