Putting It In Perspective

So it's the eve of the last day before Spring Break, right? And I'm sitting at the dining room table about to have a breakdown. I can feel the tears coming, the frustration bottling up inside me - it's coming.

Why, you ask, can I be so upset when we only have ONE DAY left until Spring Break?

Because I had too much to do.

Science project, giant math review packet, reading an assigned book, and decorating my "Tennessee Can" for History.

So my buddy came over and we got the science project out of the way, but what about all this other stuff?

The clock read 8:14 p.m. and there was no way I was doing all of this and getting enough sleep. Being a perfectionist, the concept I had to integrate now was foreign and unwanted. This was....

PRIORITIZING (put your tasks in order from most important to least important, and get as many done as you can. Forget the rest.)

So.... science project - done. Math packet - yeah, I needed to get that done (giant test the next day). Reading - I'd do it in homeroom tomorrow. And, by that time folks, I'd be drop-dead tired. So, you know what that means. Yep, I'd have to drop... THE TENNESSEE CAN!!!

Oh, the horror! I would be sent to detention for not getting this done! Well, I thought, at least they can't send me until next week.

I walked into Social Studies class the next day expecting the worst. "Mr. Harley," I said, "I'm really sorry but I left my Tennessee Can at home."

And you know what he said? NOT that I would be sent to detention or ISS or ALC, but that I could just turn it in when we got back. You know what that means...

ALL THAT WORRYING WAS FOR NOTHING!!!

It was all in vain! So next time you think something's going to be the end of the world, put it in perspective. When I'm an adult, I'm not going to be reminiscing about that one time in 8th grade when I forgot my Tennessee Can. If you don't think it'll be important twenty years from now, it shouldn't be overly important now. So just take my advice...

Put the things in your life in perspective.