Every once in a while, I want to cue up Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day” and play it on repeat.
And then listen to Taylor Swift songs to feel better.
Last Friday was not my favorite day. In fact, it was a day I wanted to end all day long. I sort of felt like I was living a real-life version of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, and escaping to Australia felt like a pretty good option.
After all, I’ve always wanted to meet a real koala.
The day started off poorly when I spilled Gatorade all over my kitchen floor before burning my finger on my curling iron, and it just went downhill from there. I am not going to detail every single bad thing that happened, because there’s already a children’s book for that, but it was simply one thing after another. And it was all topped off with a rude comment from a woman at the grocery store who almost ran into me with her cart. (Side note: Bad days are going to happen for other people, too, and we don’t always know what they are going through. You might be the person who cheers someone up when a crummy day is happening. So maybe be nice to people in grocery stores.)
I was more than happy when I went to sleep that night.
Saturday was much better than Friday. I got to eat froyo and hang out with my sister and sit on my sofa watching The Office. Then on Sunday I got more froyo, found out my sister will be my neighbor soon, got to catch up with a good friend and was able to celebrate Peyton moving on to one more game (I can’t stand the Patriots, so it was extra special). Friday didn’t carry over—it was one bad day, and then it was gone.
If you’re ever having a horrible day and want to borrow some of my go-to cures, here are some things I recommend:
Froyo—Frozen yogurt is always a good option, even if you’re lactose intolerant (I can’t say that’s scientifically proven, but I also can’t say it’s not). Birthday cake, cake batter and salted caramel pretzel are some pretty incredible flavors you might want to try if you haven’t already.
The Office (or some other funny show)—Anything that makes you laugh almost to the point of tears is helpful when your day has made you want to cry the sad kind of tears.
Hanging out with people—I like people. I don’t think life is meant to be spent alone all of the time. Sometimes being alone is a good thing, but when you’re having a bad day or in a sour mood, other people can often help boost your spirits and make you not want to escape to Australia. Even if you can only call someone, that can help, too. I usually call my sister because she always knows what to say, and I’m guaranteed to laugh at least 14 times. Or she texts me this really funny picture of a foofy dog that says, “BI*$#, I AM FABULOUS.” I feel like everyone should have this picture for a pick-me-up on a bad day. I will send it to you if you want.
Coloring—I don’t care if it sounds childish. I promise it helps. Crayons are magical.
There are many other things, like climbing trees and beating the crap out of a piñata, but sometimes it’s too cold to go outside or too expensive to purchase something you’re just going to destroy.
Bad days are going to happen. Full House taught me that long ago. Well, I guess kindergarten taught me that, too. (I once had to move my pin for talking during nap time after getting a sucker stuck in my hair, and I learned what a bad day was that day for sure.)
But bad days end. Plus, you can’t really escape them by moving away, so it’s best to get past them and move on.
As Alexander’s mom pointed out in the book, bad days even happen in Australia—just ask Crocodile Dundee.
