I Listen to Strangers... They Always Have Something To Say

"When you used to tell me that you chase tornadoes, deep down I thought it was just a metaphor."

Guess what movie this is from? :)

Well, that's what I'm watching right now.

Today has been an, erm, odd day. Turns out that my coach has put me down to continue doing track after my last JV meet [which I am strictly on the JV team], and wants me to do varsity. I'm pretty afraid, mostly because I haven't even BEEN to a varsity meet yet, let alone competed against any varsity runners. The joy of it all. -_-

And, I got this book today for English: "Things Fall Apart". Chinua Achebe, anyone? :)

But that's not what this blog is about tonight. This is about the lesson I stumbled upon, oh, a couple of weeks ago.

I was standing at my locker one Tuesday afternoon, trying to call my Mom to find out what I was doing after school. I was having trouble with a ride home from track, had several projects to do, and the stress & anxiety were eating away at me [including at my gums, which at that point had canker sores]. Basically, I was alone, in the hallway, stressing out.

Then, a stranger walked by. Only a freshmen [in high school], he had huge gauges in his ears, and a pair of baggy clothes to match. He seemed like a kid who had a rougher life than myself, yet have an attitude of a kid my father would brand a "punk."

He saw me, probably looking extremely stressed, and out of nowhere turned to me and sincerely said "Life will get better. I would know."

The truth of the matter? I actually did believe him. And you know what? It really did get better. I had enough courage to make it through my day, and that entire week with a more positive attitude.

People say don't talk to strangers [even though that seems like kind of an underlying point of a blog], but I guess you can learn from what they have to say.

So, to anyone out there, listen to me:

"Life will get better. I would know."

:)