A Day in my Eyes

Dec.6 2013

Today was a very cold day. I woke up at the crack of... well six in the morning. The feeling of low blood sugar and lack of sleep fatigued me. I was both excited, and unimpressed at the same time. Excited for the field trip I was to go on to the museum, but unimpressed because, let's face it; I had to get up early. Although I love getting up early, mornings are not amiable in the beginning. It's the kind of love that grows on you, like that of an annoying friend. So this morning I dragged myself out of bed, slammed my open palm down on my relentlessly beeping alarm clock, turned on my turtle's tank light, and faced the day. I showered, dressed, and as the latter stated, I began to enjoy my early morning. I made tea, and packed my bag, ready to take on any challenges the near future may bring.

Now this morning I decided to take the public bus, seeing as I had to be in early. Upon looking at the stove clock I could do nothing more but cringe at the fact that the time was not one I wished to see; 8:03. Many are aware, and can easily follow, the rule of being five minutes early to the bus stop, but for some unknown reason, this is one rule I cannot follow. So the time is 8:03- the time the bus is supposed to be at the designated stop. Seeing this I grabbed my tea, kobo, and bag, and ran as fast as my feet could carry me. "Don't be too late" I said under the breath I was lacking from the run up the road. But unfortunately telling myself it might be late was doing nothing more than feeding me false hope. I had missed my bus, and my fate was now in my frozen, flushed hands to do with them what they choose.

I walked down the road, beginning to shiver now. Once reaching my lot I got the hidden spare key. Once inside my house, I weighed out my options: Mom is busy, Dad's at work, and if I resort to the school bus, I may be late for the field trip. And let me tell you- I was not going to miss this trip. So I thought and I thought, and it just so happens that my eyes locked with that of my neighbour's driveway. When my eyes locked on that worn gravel path out front of their home, I didn't see an occupied parking spot, but instead an opportunity.

I put my winter jacket back on and packed up my belongings, then said my farewells to my furred best friend, Stanley the Sheltie, and left the warm safe haven of my home, throwing myself into the bitter weather I knew all too well from my previous failure of the morning. I walked up my neighbour's front steps with stiffened knees from the cold, and knocked on the door with humiliation. It's not that I don't like my neighbours, not at all. It was the fact that my irresponsibility had brought me to their front steps and had shot down my confident pound to a feeble knock on their front door. My neighbour answered and after hearing of my predicament, gave in to my unfortunate morning and drove me to school.

Feeling obligated to make some small talk considering the circumstances; I asked my neighbour if she was busy with Christmas. She replied with a burdened "It's going to be hard this year" and being curious as to why, I asked. We spent the car ride talking about how her brother was not doing well and at this very moment was lucky to be alive. Once arriving at the school I thanked her from the bottom of my heart, and wished her and her brother well. When responding to my goodbye, she smiled. Now this may seem irrelevant, but I assure you, it wasn't.

The fact that this woman could smile after my thanks and farewell brought thoughts to my head. This woman has been through so much as her brother dangerously teetered on the edge of death. She watched her brother in fear, seeing death lurk the room waiting for the right moment to strike and rob her of a sibling- and yet here she sat, smiling. The optimism in this woman moved me incredibly.

As I walked through the front entrance of my high school I thought of my morning's unfortunate nature and couldn't help but laugh. I could have received tragedy this morning but instead I was given the privilege of inconvenience. I shouldn't be upset with this morning, I thought. I should take it as a friendly nudge from life, who at the time was just turning my ordinary morning into an interesting one. And with that in mind I continued my morning, with only one difference from before- I had hope.