The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow

Before I begin, I'm going to introduce myself, since I forgot to in my last column (I forget a lot of things). I'm Caille Fille, I'm 14 years old, and I will be the School Issues Opinion Editor for a while to come. I'm currently attending public high school, and I play softball and the viola.

This column is going to be about looking on the bright side, seeing the silver lining, being optimistic - you get the picture. The reason I decided on this topic is because I've been having a nasty week; every day I've had to remind myself that things will get better, and that tomorrow will be a new day. I have a total of 6 tests this week, I've been forgetting things left and right, I've been practicing the wrong viola solo this WHOLE year so I don't know if I'll be allowed to audition for a summer orchestra, and to top it all off, I just jammed my finger in a door. The worst part about this week is that I know it'll get worse before it gets better again, and there's nothing I can do about it.

We've all had times like these, I'm sure. It's a fact of life that is inescapable. Besides, if you are never sad, then you will never be happy; we as humans define happiness by sorrow. We have to learn to deal with the curveballs that life likes to throw at us as best as we can. We as teens have the hardest time putting things in perspective. We tend to make mountains out of molehills, and let things like bad grades become as painfull as the death of a loved one. So before you run to the bathroom and cry your eyes out, realize that your problem is most likely not life-threatening, and that there is a boatload of things far worse that could have happened.

I like to think of a bad turn of events as the result of some evil higher power who wants to break my spirit. Defiant by nature, I swore to myself that I would not let him. When the times get tough, I don't stress over the little problems in life. I roll with the punches, but make sure that I know what I did wrong, and don't make the same mistake twice. That's how I fight back. I make myself happy by studying harder, practicing more, or working at something until I get it right. Humiliating moments are just that - moments in your lifetime. They will be forgotten, and odds are they don't lower anyone's opinion of you. If you're being picked on or bullied, realize that you won't be the target forever, even though it may seem that way.

By the way I just spilled soda on my brand new pants.

But I can smile and shake my head, glad that it's only one of those little things in life that tries to bring me down. As my friend Alice likes to say, "Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweatty things." Don't let those little things hurt you; brush them off like a bug on your sleeve.

I can't stress this to myself enough: tomorrow is a new day and a new beginning. The sun will still rise, and the stars will still shine. If you made a mistake, you can fix it. If not, then at least you know what you did wrong so that you won't do it again, right? All of yesterdays trials and triumphs are over. You get up in the morning with a clean slate! Little disappointments shouldn't still be hanging over your head when dawn breaks.

If you get yourself down about these minor details of life, things will never get better. You've got to go with the flow, and move on. Crying about something after the fact isn't going to get you anywhere; odds are it will only make the situation worse. Maybe, just this once, you'll be able to shrug your shoulders and say, "whatever, I know what I did wrong, I'll work harder and do better next time". You'll feel so much more relaxed if you don't throw a tantrum or burst into tears when you get back a math test with a big red "F" on top. There's an ancient Chinese principle called Wu Wei. It means "go with the flow". You'll feel healthier and live longer if you don't stress out over every single bad thing that happens in your life. When taking a test in Global Studies, I was stressing over one particular question when my teacher came up and said, "Wu Wei, Caille Fille, Wu Wei. Go with the flow, bend with the wind. Do you know what happens to trees that don't bend with the wind? They snap and die!!!" Okay, so maybe it wasn't what I wanted to hear at the time (the answer would have been ideal) but she's got a good point. She taught me the best way to deal with bad days.

You've got to work hard, have fun, and when those bad days roll around, put on a smile and take them as they come. If you use any other approach, life's little things will kill your spirit, just like a tree would snap and die in the face of the wind. Wu Wei. It's how I get through. Trust me, it works.

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"My son is in fourth grade and he gets a lot of homework every night. It's like pulling teeth to get him to do it. Is there any way to convince him to do it without my nagging? Help!

PeaceLove

Dear PeaceLove,
         I know I'm going to sound pessamistic when I say this, but no kid likes doing homework, and I can't blame your son for hating it. Unfortunately, homework always has been and always will be a fact of life for kids in school. Because of the amount of homework he gets, I suggest you have him do it before dinner. When I was in the fourth grade (and before I was motivated enough to break out the books on my own), my parents enforced a strict no-tv-before-the-completion-of-homework rule. Every afternoon I would come home, do my homework, and then spend time with the neighborhood kids, or playing in my backyard. After dinner, I would show my completed homework to my parents so they knew that I was finishing it - ALL of it. A few months after the birth of this rule (though I did my fair share of complaining when it was introduced), I was taking out my HW as soon as I got through the door so that I could finish it in time to catch my favorite shows. Besides, if he does it early in the afternoon, he's more likely to remember what he learned in school. Eventually he'll understand that he's doing all that extra work for the good grades, to get into honors classes, to get into a good college, but that's a loooooong way down the road. As for now, you'll probably still have to remind him a few times to start his homework. But hey, think of it this way, at least you know he's doing it.

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Before I end this column, I'd like to thank everyone who sent me reviews for "A Few Kind Words" . Many of the comments I recieved were helpful and inspiring! Thanks guys, luv ya!!!

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