It’s always at the end. The magic, the joy, the peace.
After the fire is out. After the dragon is slain.
After the wedding. After the kiss. After the fight is done.

They say, “……. and they lived happily ever after.”

But what if the happiness wasn’t at the end?
What if there’s no such thing as the end?

Maybe “happily ever after” was never real.
Or maybe… it was just the storyteller deciding to stop telling the story when things looked good.

Some of us are waiting. Waiting to get an employment. Waiting for the promotion. Waiting to get married. Waiting for more money, a new house, a fresh start. Waiting for the chapter where happiness enters, claps its hands and says, “Now we can begin.”

But what if it already began? What if you’re already in the story?
What if this is the “ever after” and you’re so focused on what’s next, you can’t see it?

Sometimes we are waiting for what we already have. We think we haven’t arrived yet, because it doesn’t feel like a fairy tale. No music. No magic sparkles. Just morning traffic and unpaid bills.

But still, You have cold water from a tap, and kings of old never tasted that. You can speak to someone miles away. You can light a dark room by lifting your finger. You can read this now on a glowing screen you hold in your hand.

Maybe your life is not perfect, but maybe… it’s already beautiful.
Maybe you’re not missing a fairy tale. Maybe you’re just inside a quiet one.

“Happily ever after” is not a final page.
It’s the whisper of this moment.
It’s the rice that cooked well today.
The mat you sit on. The baby that reached for you.
The neighbour who waved.
The song that reminded you you’re still alive.

Maybe each day has a new “ever after” hiding inside it.
Small. Soft. Easy to miss if you’re too focused on the noise.

You are not behind. You are not forgotten.
You are not waiting to begin. You are already living.

Maybe not the version of the story you were told…
But a deeper one. One with cracked pots and early mornings and real breath.

So today, pause. Not to wish for more.
But to notice. And if you find a moment, just one, that makes you smile from deep inside, then maybe that’s enough.

Maybe that’s what happily ever after really feels like.