Dancing Again, With a Tiara on Her Head She used to think happiness was something she had to earn. Maybe that was why she spent so much of her life trying to perform well. She thought if she studied harder, achieved more, became smarter, became stronger, and turned herself into someone worth being proud of, happiness would eventually come to her as a reward. As if someone would finally say, There. You did enough. Now you are allowed to be happy. But no one ever said that. So she kept going. She kept trying to become better. She kept thinking that maybe the next achievement would be enough. Maybe the next good grade. The next certificate. The next accomplishment. Maybe if she became someone extraordinary, she would finally feel worthy of the life she wanted. And somewhere along the way, she became very good at surviving. She learned how to carry things alone. She learned how to think ahead, solve her own problems, and convince herself that she did not need anyone. She...
