Are you having one of those days? It’s not fun to wake up early for school. It’s a drag having several hours of homework at night. Chores are a bummer. Losing phone or computer privileges bites. Bad hair days are really not okay. Brussels sprouts and fish for dinner? Ew. Feeling left out by friends who didn’t ask you to go to the mall with them is a pretty rotten feeling. The question is, how can you lift yourself up and out of the blues?
Would it help if I told you how lucky you are? Girls in developing countries can’t attend school because they are busy carrying water or food for their families for up to 15 hours a day. 143 million school-aged kids aren’t in school. Chores are a way of life, literally. Many wonder where the next meal will come from, if at all. As we bite into a stinky brussels sprout perhaps we could be thinking about the cup of rice a teen in Africa might be fortunate to be eating. As we drink our milk we might take a moment to be happy we have a disease-free beverage. And when we wake up cranky about another day of school, we could roll over and take 5 minutes to appreciate our warm beds and safe homes. But is all this enough to turn your day around?
What will really make you feel good is to do something for someone else. It doesn’t have to be something big. Taking a box of your old Hot Wheels cars or Barbies to a local shelter will make you smile. Making cupcakes with friends for a bake sale to benefit kids with no homes in Haiti will make your heart feel full. Standing up for a picked on kid on the bus by simply sitting with her and talking about music will make you both sing. These kind of “feel good” moments will take you out of yourself for a bit, lighten another’s day, and give you back more than you could ever imagine. Make today a good day!