Some days are good days, and some days...

Eight years ago, we had a bad day. I was a senior in high school, and considering the fact that I started getting senioritis about halfway through my junior year, I had my share of not-so-hilarious days anyway, but you know what happened on this particular day, and let’s just say it put some things in perspective for me, just like it did for everyone else.

One thing I’ve learned since then? America isn’t afraid of a bad day.

Once we all decided to wrestle ourselves out of the sitting-in-our-pajamas-watching-news-24/7 phase, we got back to life, full steam ahead. Remembering the bad day, letting it become part of our patchwork, but not letting it define who we are, because we’re a country of fighters. I believe as individuals and as a whole, we’re stronger than we give ourselves credit for.

So today I’m remembering. Remembering that bad day and where I was when I got the news, how I felt when I saw that haunting video, the uncertainty I felt about the future as a high school student ready to go out into the world. Today I’m also living my life like I always do, having faith that I am doing what I should be doing and that while I can’t see the future, it will hold some good for me.

If you’re anything like me, you’re just as uncertain about the future as you were then. Those bad days put an exclamation point on the unknown, but the good days we have hopefully outnumber the bad. Those are the days to make us feel more positive about the future, because while in those days, the future might still be a huge, expansive unknown, we can find great hope in its possibilities.

So I hope today is a good day for all of us, but if it’s a bad day, that’s ok too. Because we’re not afraid of a few bad days.

PS - thanks to my bestie Em for being the first one to ask me, "are you afraid of having a bad day?" when I was in the middle of an Emotional Thing. I've thought a lot about it ever since. Now if we could just get her to revive her blog...