When I was a kid, I always loved the fairytale story of Hansel and Gretel. And every time I heard the story which my dad narrated from memory, I always got freaked when the two siblings decide to throw bread down on the ground to retrace their steps back home instead of stones.

I knew that was the part in the story where the birds would eat the bread and little Hansel and Gretel would get lost in the woods. But that is also when the fun part begins with the whole house made of candy and all the fun stuff they got to do.

Ever since I can remember, I loved being creative always knew I wanted to be a writer and write stories like the ones I heard before I went to bed as a child. The word “creating” is such a general word. It can mean so many things. Some people hear the word and they think of a painting. Some hear it and they think of a beautiful 3 course meal. Others think of giving birth and the list goes on. Me? I think of the adventure of life itself.

I have always chosen to live my life as the adventure I knew (and know) it to be. To do that, I wrote it out in my imagination just like a story. I cast myself in the roles I thought I wanted to take the lead in, landing jobs and boyfriends that I thought would fit my character I had chosen.

But the realization I had recently is that even though I thought I was writing out this grand adventure for myself, in truth I was just like Hansel and Gretel, leaving breadcrumbs along my path to insure I’d never get lost and still find a way back home. In leaving the bread crumbs, I never fully lived in any of those moments. I spent too much time looking backwards, making sure the steps were not too far from home so that I couldn’t see the crumbs anymore.

And you know what? I got lost. Very lost. And getting lost was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Finding myself afraid and confused, the forest taught me the lesson of faith. Faith is the nourishment and water that gives life to every seed. Every tree in the forest, every painting, every book, and every person is a living manifestation of faith. So, start to live your life like a Van Gogh, a Da Vinci and a Picasso! The moment we give up control is when life has the chance to turn into our personal artistic masterpiece!