The

By Lauren McQue

Little

Things

Catherine wakes up in her dorm room at Elizabethtown College and is ready for a brand new day. She is excited to see what the day has in store for her. Every day is a new adventure, and this day is certain to be one as well.

#1

She was ready for the day as she gazed at her reflection. First she has to go find a book in the library for one of her classes, then go to class, go look for her grade on a big test she had last week, and meet her friend for lunch. Catherine took a deep breath and smiled; she was ready for the day.

#2

Catherine’s first task of the day was to find a book she needed in the library. It was for her English class that she had later in the day. It was about the effects that commercials on the television have on children. It was full of information that would help her write her essay for the class that was due later in the week.

#3

To her dismay, the book that Catherine needs is already checked out. She sighs as this means that she’ll have to re-think when she will get a majority of the paper done. She had all of her time scheduled out because Catherine has a lot of assignments due this week, and today was to be when most of the paper was to be done. ‘One more thing to do,’ Catherine thought.

#4

Catherine is sitting in Communications class, completely prepared. She has her books out on her desk, pen in hand, and is ready to learn. This happens to be one of her favorite classes. The day is starting to get better from the disappointment she faced earlier.

#5

Class was going perfectly fine, when all of a sudden the professor asked for everyone to pass in the homework that was assigned last week. Catherine turned to where it should have been in her notebook and it wasn’t there. She flipped through every section and the paper was not to be found.

#6

Back in her dorm room, Catherine starts searching for her keys to her dorm. After she unlocked the door, she must have put them down somewhere. She looked under her bed, in her drawers, under her desk, anywhere that she could have dropped them or accidentally set them down. Even though this was a tiny matter, it was just another setback to add to the day that Catherine had gone through so far.

#7

Right before she had to leave in order to go get her test, she found her keys hanging right where they were supposed to, on the hook that is specifically meant for them. Catherine sighed, grabbed the keys, and shuffled her way out the door.

#8

Catherine was at her professor’s door looking for her test. She had studied so hard for this test, and devoted a lot of her time to it. She had even skipped going out to eat with her friends to study for this exam. Catherine was flipping past all her classmates’ papers, and her test ended up being the last one…

#9

She couldn’t believe what she was looking at. An F. A fifty seven percent. All the time she had spent studying, all the anxiety that she had worked up in her mind…it all amounted to a fifty seven percent.

#10

Feeling dejected, Catherine thought about how her day was going downhill. First she couldn’t get the book she needed which is causing her schedule to be thrown off. Then she forgot her homework which will surely affect her grade in her favorite class. Next she lost her keys for a little while in her room when they were right where they belong the whole time. Now, she is holding a paper that concludes that all of her hard work and studying leading up to this test was for nothing. ‘Well,’ Catherine thought, ‘at least I have lunch with Dana to look forward to.’

#11

As Catherine was walking to lunch, she got a call from Dana that stopped her in her tracks. Dana was caught up working on a science lab so she wouldn’t be able to meet her for lunch. On a normal day, this wouldn’t have been a big deal to Catherine; but today, it was just added to her list of disappointments.

#12

Sitting alone, Catherine had time to think about her day. She decided to not think about the past trials of the day, and instead go on with the rest of her day with a clear mind. Even though she told her mind to do this, she was still gloomy and the past events of the day were heavy in her heart.

#13

Catherine walked to the nearby mailboxes to see if she had any mail from loved ones or friends. With the way her day was going, Catherine was sure that she wouldn’t be receiving any.

#14

Catherine opened her mailbox and saw that there was something inside. She thought that it was a bill or something of the sort. Then, she realized that it looked like a handwritten letter.

#15

Catherine opened up the letter and wasn’t quite sure what she would see. She wasn’t aware that anyone would be sending her a letter. She was also a little concerned as to what the letter might be about, because her Nana had been sick lately and she didn’t know if something had happened.

#16

The letter was from Catherine’s long-time friend from back home, Sarah. The letter was talking about all of the good times that they had experienced, and all of the fun and laughs that they had shared together. She was saying that they should have a reunion with their whole group from high school and share the experiences they have all had at college.

#17

Catherine was really glad that Sarah had written. It was just the kind of pick-me-up that Catherine needed. The letter made her think about all of her friends and family back home and how glad she is that she has their love and support. It made Catherine think about where she came from and how everything that she has experienced through her life has shaped her to become who she is today, and her friends and family were there for her through it all.

#18

Catherine started walking back to her dorm and thinking about her day again. She can always find other books in the library about her essay topic. She can see if the professor accepts late homework for half credit. She may also see if there is any extra credit she can complete to recover from the bad test grade. Catherine realized that she can resolve things; all it takes is an optimistic mind and an open heart.

#19

We don’t know the power our simple gestures can have. The simple acts of opening a door for someone, smiling at others, or writing someone a simple letter can harbor power that we cannot even imagine. We never know who is having a bad day and who could really use that smile, so we can offer as much as we can to others and hope that our simple act of kindness brightens up someone’s day.

We can continue being optimistic in our own lives by looking at where we’ve been, and also looking toward the future. We can appreciate the people that have helped us along in our lives, and realize that we do and always will have their support. Finding one’s internal strength can help one to remain positive and prosperous in their lives. We are who we are because of our experiences and the people we are lucky to call our friends.

#20