One of the things I love about where we live is that it’s a very safe place. We live in a small community where there is little crime. Wales, as a whole, has very few dangerous animals, so I don’t have to worry about being attacked by a bear or bitten by a snake while out on my daily walks. In short, I feel very comfortable being out and about or even staying home alone.

The only danger I have discovered is living only 45 minutes from the book town of Hay-on-Wye. Yes, a book town is precisely as its name suggests—an entire town dedicated to books. We’ve only been in Wales a year, and we’ve already visited this quaint little town about five times. As a writer and a reader, I’m drawn to the place like a bee to a flower, and of course, each time I visit, I leave with several bags of books. Yes, if there’s a danger for me here in Wales, it’s the book town.

On my most recent visit, I picked up a six-book series about a set of teenage twins who are pulled inside their cherished book of fairy tales. Being raised on the stories of fairy godmothers and happily ever after, the young girl (Alex) had always dreamed of living in such a fantastic land. In her mind, the fairy tale world was a perfect place. But after being magically transported—along with her brother—to this world of wonder, Alex soon learns that things aren’t always as they seem. She had been so caught up in the tales of princesses and castles, she had forgotten about the wicked curses and dangerous trolls. In her mind, she had blocked out all the negatives and only focused on the positives.

After a few close calls with some of the dangerous characters in the well-known fairy tales, Alex has the opportunity to chat with one of her all-time heroines, Cinderella. Even then, Alex realizes how deceived she’s been. While Cinderella did marry a prince and move to the palace, things weren’t quite as simple as “happily ever after.” Cinderella confesses that many people were slow to accept her as queen. She had to work hard to gain the people’s love and respect. Additionally, the pressures of ruling a kingdom were many, and some days Cinderella dreamed of a simpler life.

I hadn’t read far into the first book of the series before I found myself identifying with Alex. She’s a bookworm and straight-A student who overanalyzes everything and tends to get lost in the details. She struggles with being an outcast in school and finds her escape in her storybooks. And despite her best intentions, she tends to look at the lives of others through rose-colored glasses. She looks at the outcomes but forgets to consider the journey.

Aren’t we all just like Alex sometimes? We see someone else’s life and think how much happier we would be if we had what they had. We daydream about the “perfect life” as if such a thing existed. We spend time and money on things to satisfy the deep longing within us to have something or be someone. And all along, we miss the big picture.

Good stories are only good because they contain both positive and negative. There is contrast and conflict, and therefore, there is growth. Life isn’t complete without both a fairy godmother and a wicked stepmother. Light and darkness. Struggle and success. It’s the difficulties that make us strong. It’s the hard times that remind us to turn to the Lord. If Cinderella hadn’t had a wicked stepmother, she would never have needed a fairy godmother. We need the valleys to appreciate the mountains and the Lord of those mountains.

I have a good life, and God has been very good to me, but I’ll be the first to admit that my life isn’t perfect. If it were, I wouldn’t suffer from hypermobility and fibromyalgia. I wouldn’t deal with anxiety and depression. No, in an ideal world, I’d float along slender and pain-free, singing a happy song everywhere I go. So, my life is not perfect, but it does me good to remember that no one else’s is, either. I’m not alone in my struggles. I’m not the exception to the rule, and neither are you.

We live in an imperfect world, and to expect perfection is a fairy tale. Instead of spending our time and money trying to live like someone else, we would be better off making the most of what we have. God has blessed us, and He deserves our thanks. The best form of gratitude is making the most of what He has given us and doing so with a merry heart. I’m not saying it’s easy, but it is right.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have five more books in the series to read, and the rainy weather today is creating the perfect atmosphere for doing just that.

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. - Hebrews 13:5