I don’t have kids in elementary school anymore, so no one is checking up on us to make sure we’re reading for twenty minutes every night. After years and years of bedtime stories, you’d think we wouldn’t have to be intentional about doing something as mundane as reading a couple of chapters of a book every night, but recently I noticed my kids saying things like, “I don’t like books,” and “I hate to read,” and finally, I just hit a breaking point, so right around Christmas-time, I dug out a basket full of holiday-themed books and one-by-one we began to make our way through the stack.
After Christmas, I introduced chapter books, and still I sat them down next to me while I read a couple of chapters out loud before bed.
I love to read, and every once in a while, I sneak down to the basement and wade through our boxes of children’s books. I pull one out and become so thoroughly engrossed that the hours pass like minutes.
Some books are meant to be read aloud again and again.
And that’s how we stumbled upon Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. It’s a classic of children’s literature, not only because of it’s sing-songy cadence and easy reading style but also because both children and adults know exactly what it feels like to be Alexander—how a morning can start out terribly wrong and set the tone for the whole day.
According to Alexander, some days are like that—even in Australia.
“I went to sleep with gum in my mouth and now there’s gum in my hair and when I got out of bed this morning I tripped on the skateboard and by mistake I dropped my sweater in the sink while the water was running and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.”
Poor Alexander goes to bed after his terrible, no good, very bad day, and even the ending is bad—the night light goes out, his brother takes his pillow, and the cat doesn’t want to sleep with him.
We finish the book rooting for Alexander to have a better day tomorrow.
And we know in our hearts, he probably will.
Unlike Alexander, we cannot get away with crying and fighting with our families when we don’t get our way. We must figure out how to have a bad day grown-up style.
Getting through bad days grown-up style? What does that even mean?
Let’s talk about it. Here’s five things to keep in mind when you’re having a bad day (week, month, or even year)!
This might be where you need to be right now.
These are ten words no one wants to hear. Ever. Especially when you are going through something hard. And honestly, I don’t think I’d even have the guts to say these words out loud to you because let’s face it—sometimes you only see the beauty in your circumstances once you’re on the other side of them. And until I’ve walked a mile in your shoes I’ll never know what it’s like to be you. (Recommended reading: Walk Two Moons)
This, too, will pass.
Everything is temporary. You can do hard things when you know you don’t have to do them for very long. The trouble, of course, is when you don’t know how long you’ll have to endure your own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. And that does cause some complications. But nothing in life is forever, and you can rest assured that though you don’t know how soon the end will come nor what’s in store for you, come it will. (Recommended reading: Hatchet)
This experience will not be wasted.
Experience is the one thing that’s valued both in work and in play. Experience just makes us better at everything. Experience is practice. Experience is discipline. Experience is preparation. It shapes our perspective, helps us understand our stories, and gives us the moral authority to help other people understand theirs. (Recommended reading: The Book Thief)
What are you choosing not to see in this moment?
I write about blurred vision a lot because our circumstances so often make us blind to the truth and beauty all around us. “What am I choosing not to see?” is a question I ask myself whenever my emotions threaten to get the better of me, whenever I find myself spiraling down a deep, dark hole of negative thoughts, and whenever I feel stuck and don’t know what to do. (Recommended reading: Charlotte’s Web)
This is an opportunity, not an obstacle.
Successful people know that distractions, detours, and road blocks are simply a part of a life well-lived. Interruptions are designed to grab your attention. You crave safety and security, but you know in your heart that the people who make a difference are the ones who do things differently. Do you want a predictable life or an adventurous one? Disappointments are the end of a chapter, not the end of your story. (Recommended reading: The Red Umbrella)