"Don't worry, 'bout a thing, 'cause every little thing, is gonna be alright."

People often say that you find out what you're really made of when things get a little rough around the edges. Well, after this week, I'm thinking I'm made out of some sort of mixture between that really amazing brand of Tupperware plastic that can survive even the most horrific leftovers, and that "New and Improved" play dough they like to call silly putty.

I guess I'm quite the oxymoron. But hey, don't all the men out there like to say us girls are quote, 'complex'? That's a better word for it. Maybe they're right. I guess a mixture of complexity, stupidity, hilarity, and integrity are what make the world what is is today anyway. A little snippet of craziness every now and then never hurt anyone.

Ever had one of those weeks where its seems like every frustrating but altogether necessary task gets thrown at you on Monday and has to be done (at the latest) by Friday? This was one of those weeks for this kid! Thank goodness it was all school related, because I know if I hadn't been able to come home to a sane household (not that my household is ever really sane), I wouldn't have made it through these past five days without a multitude of regrets and misgivings.

I started things off on Monday rejuvenated and positive. The weekend had been warm and enjoyable and the chorus of "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley  had been my personal theme song for the past two glorious spring days. By the end of the day my song had changed to something that sounded a little like "I Hope Tomorrow is Like Today" by Guster. Slow, melancholy, depressed. The reason for this dramatic change of mood was the seemingly impossible amount of work that I, being the overachiever who just had to take some upper-level classes, had to complete. My do-to list as of the end of the school day on Monday looked a little something like this:

1) On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, take and pass the huge three-part state-wide HSAP test that determines if I get my high school diploma or not and that made me miss my first two classes of the day for three days straight.

2) Accurately complete a five-day lab experiment in chemistry that our teacher was counting as a test grade and that would require me to write numerous two page lab reports throughout the week. Also write a minimum four page introduction for a totally separate formal lab report for that same chemistry teacher. All due on Friday.

3) Try and keep up with and learn what was being taught in my Trig class (that I was missing everyday because of HSAP) and take a test on all of it on Friday.

Holy. Crap. In my mind this was one of the biggest and most sinister-looking mountains I'd ever undertaken as a high school student. Now I know that most people out there reading this are probably thinking "Well gosh that doesn't seem like a lot at all. Just wait until you're an adult kid, then you'll see what work is." Yes, you are most definitely correct, I really don't know what a tough week of work is yet. But I'm not trying to get sympathy. I'm just complaining and explaining. It's what we teenagers do.

I will say though, that I learned a little more about myself because of this trying week. I learned that I'm getting pretty good at the whole 'staying positive' thing. This week gave a new meaning to the saying "Just take it one day at a time."

A year ago this sort of thing would have caused me to be completely stressed out all week long, to be a jerk to my family because of my hectic schedule, and to have an altogether bad outlook on myself and what I was capable of achieving. Basically I would have been very immature and handled it all with very little poise or grace.

People tend to be very good at overwhelming themselves. We think and stress and moan and end up making a little challenge look like climbing Mt. Everest when in reality all we need to do is break up the work and take it one day at a time. Everything in life is much more manageable when taken in small quantities. So this week, that's exactly what I did. I put in the hours doing homework, typed endlessly on my computer, and stayed for hours after school to keep myself caught up, all the while making sure I looked decent and healthy each day and not like a sleep-deprived bum. I felt like one of those crazy soccer moms who somehow manage to successfully juggle their kids, husbands, and jobs everyday. It was slightly liberating.

By Friday, I felt good about every paper I turned in or test that I took. The week ended up being one of my proudest and most successful yet. Now as I sit outside on my back porch on this beautiful Saturday, carefree and content with a week of spring break just getting underway, I find myself being thankful for the test the past couple of days brought. It's true that God isn't going to throw anything at me that I can't handle. It also made me realize how grateful I should be of a supportive family, and of the fact that I even have the opportunity to go to school and get an education at all. I think we should all just step back and look at everything we've been blessed with, be it opportunities or materials. So next time you're feeling overwhelmed and stressed out, remember that there are tons of people out there who would kill to be in your shoes and have what you have. Don't spend all of your time worrying, because even though things may be tough right now, it won't be that way forever. If there weren't any bad days, we would never be able to fully appreciate the good ones. Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them.