Have you ever heard of National Have a Bad Day Day? Yeah, neither had I until this November 19th. I must tell you, bad days are not too frequent of an occurrence in my life, so when they do come around, they’re usually pretty substantial. For your amusement, (because, really, who doesn’t enjoy a good laugh at another person’s misfortune? America’s Funniest Home Videos, anyone?), I’ve compiled a list of foolproof ways to have a bad day.
- Wake up late. Now, I know those bed sheets can be quite cozy, especially in the morning, and especially when you have places to be and people to see. But if you’re not careful, they can swallow you whole, and you won’t see the light of day until roughly ten minutes before you have to leave if you want to be on time. Trust me; I’ve learned from experience.
- Hit a telephone pole. Before you freak out, it really wasn’t that bad. We had received at least six inches of fluffy, wet precipitation the night before, so in the places that had not previously been driven through, it was nearly impossible to move without sliding. The first step in achieving a nice dent in your car is to stop at a stop sign just outside the tire tracks of those before you. This will ensure that as you go to turn, no matter how fast you are going, you will slide. And when you slide, you will head directly for that pillar of wood. Now if your father has taught you anything, it’s to never panic. So, you’ll take your foot off the gas, turn the wheel as far to the right as you can (you won’t flip; you can’t be going more than 5mph), and do everything in your power to avoid hitting that pole head-on. That would really put a damper on your day. You’ll jump the curb and wind up in someone’s yard, but the impact (and therefore the damage to your door) will be minimal. With a sigh, you’ll back out of the person’s yard and continue on to school.
- Break the news to your parents. This may seem insignificant next to hitting a telephone pole, but it’s actually quite terrifying. Your parents always begged you to be careful when you drive, right? First things first, you’ll have to decide which parent you’ll tell. Mom’s out of town, and you don’t want to worry her, so Dad it is. You’ll call him and tell him as calmly as you can how it happened. He’ll pause before asking how bad the damage is. You’ll tell him it’s just a small dent and that you had no trouble closing the door and he’ll breathe a sigh of relief. “It’s your dent,” he’ll tell you. “I’m just glad you and your brother are okay.”
- Lose concentration in important classes. Calculus is a biggie. There are numerous formulas and definitions, all building on each other like the bricks of a building as you move along throughout the year. It’s typically the highest level of math a high school offers. If you miss something in this class due to insufficient concentration, you will most likely struggle through later lessons, which can quickly turn a bad day into a bad week.
- Take ceramics. I’m not talking thievery here; I mean one of the various art classes offered at your high school. That’s not to say it’s a terrible class, because it’s not. It can actually be quite relaxing, using your hands to mold a vessel of clay. But it also requires intense concentration, and if you don’t possess a natural talent for the arts, you’re screwed. On a good day, you’ll do something you actually know how to do, like roll coils and stack them on top of each other until they form some tall, slender vessel. If you remember though, this is a bad day, so when you walk in the room, Professor Art (also known as Professor Sass) will look at you and say, “Grab some clay. You’re on the wheel today.” Under normal circumstances, you’d be excited to try something new, but you’re already exhausted and so easily distracted that this is bound to be a horrendous first experience. And it is. After his demo, it takes you six tries to get the base to even stick to the wheel, and by the time you’re able to make your first real attempt, it’s caved in on itself and it’s time to clean up. Maybe next time will be better.
National Have a Bad Day Day was
the worst I’ve had in a while, but it also made some memorable stories. Looking back, I can actually laugh at a lot
of the things that happened to me throughout the day. My car still has that dent in the door, but
serves as a gentle reminder to be careful
while I’m driving. I’ve since taught myself that little bit of information I
missed while distracted in Calculus. As
for the mug I tried to make on the wheel in Ceramics that day, it’s an art-form
I still haven’t mastered. Some days are
just bad. It’s not really something you can control,
and in the moment, it feels as if your situation will never improve. Eventually, though, your tunnel vision
expands into a world of better days, so keep on walking.
