Daily Archives: March 2, 2010

Once upon a time a beautiful princess married a hunky, young prince. She possessed creativity and a zeal for life. Her new husband loved this about her. Sometimes her spontaneous actions backfired on both of them, but he still encouraged her to be the fabulous, fun person she was. Joy shone through her green eyes as she surveyed their future together.

In time the royal couple added children and a mortgage to their kingdom. The princess loved her family dearly and longed to create the perfect home for them. As the family grew, so did the gravity of her task. Laundry piled higher and higher in the castle turrets. This, among other royal duties, prevented the lovely princess from getting out as often as she would like. Always observant, the wicked Hafftoos decided this was the perfect time to attack.

Not every knows about Hafftoos. Not everyone can see them, but believe me: they are very real. These sneaky little trolls wander around ever so carefully through delightful and quaint villages stealing innocents’ joy. They transform tasks into chores and desires into burdens.

The imps began their attack with whispers. Quietly, gently they convinced the princess she needn’t do anything she didn’t want to do. (While it is true that princesses never need do anything they don’t want, the lie of the Hafftoos was the insinuation that her desires for the moment were all that mattered.)

Soon the princess realized she really did not like laundry. She also didn’t like doing dishes or cleaning floors. Before long she started neglecting the jobs she didn’t feel like doing. This gave her a superficial feeling of freedom, even a hint of superior arrogance, but it invited more aggression from the Hafftoos.

They poured strife on her marriage and then bitterness. The princess didn’t understand why she had to do everything around the castle, always with runny-nosed noisemakers under foot, while the prince simply took his carriage about the kingdom and spent his days with other courtiers. (Of course, the prince did much more than this, but the princess couldn’t acknowledge it because the Haftoos had convinced her that her desires and feelings were more important than the truth.)

Meanwhile, the prince didn’t understand why the princess had lost her passion for life. He had given her all she asked and more. Yet the princess was unhappy. The Hafftoos had made her feel like a slave to her blessings. Instead of enjoying the full life she possessed, she spent all her days managing it, all the while forgetting she had everything her heart desired.

One day the King, the most loving father a child could ever know, visited his daughter. They walked the gardens together until they found a special spot next to the glistening brook. There the King held the princess’s hand and asked her to look at her reflection in the still waters. She was startled to see drastic changes in her image. Her smile was gone. Her hair look dull and tangled. Instead of shining with delight, her eyes appeared hollow and acerbic. As she looked closer she saw something else: all the little Hafftoos hovering behind.

How long had they been there? Why hadn’t she noticed them before?

Tears streaming, she pleaded with her father for advice. “How do I get rid of them? How can I revive the person I once was?”

He answered with characteristic brevity: “Seek and remember.” He stood slowly with a wink, a chuckle and a pat to her knee. “You’ll figure it out.”