Cinderella

i watched this for the first time when i was three (or probably younger) and immediately decided i was cinderella. i’d pretend to clean dramatically just so i could have my “transformation moment.” she was my favorite princess growing up. but even as a kid, i remember getting frustrated. i wanted her to speak up, to fight back. i didn’t understand why she stayed quiet. now i do. her strength wasn’t in yelling, it was in holding on to her kindness when she had every reason not to. she taught me that softness doesn’t mean weakness. and even when the world is cruel, you can still choose grace. that kind of magic stays with you.