The Little Mermaid

To become ones truest self requires many things: courage, determination, hope, willpower, compassion and trust but there's something else; oft overlooked, rarely spoken of, yet crucial. The final requirement: sacrifice.

There's always a cost.

Sometimes it's obvious and upfront, honest and clear; a price tag on happiness. Most of the time however, it's a little more malicious, predatory; a hidden debt to be exacted at time unknown, a bounty to be claimed at any moment, an invisible sword dangling overhead.
You can try to prepare, try to plan, try to predict every eventuality but it will always find a way.

I accepted the bargain, I paid the price. Then the sword fell. A circular shell of twenty eight openings, a bladed clam to speed its blue pearls down. Four times a day, every day, I pay the price. I sacrifice my voice for authenticity, silence for freedom.

The cost can be high but, like the little mermaid, it's well worth it for legs.