A fragment of light peaks through the crack beneath the shade and my windowsill in my

bedroom. It touches my face softly, reminding my eyes they open, and my mind that it’s time to
start a new day. A day full of trial and error, but also success. Even if it was the worst day of my
life, I could find something that would mean I did something great. The most crazy part is, I
appreciate the bad days more than the most wonderful ones. I am probably the only person in
this universe who believes that. How could anyone like bad days? You see I don’t appreciate
them as much in the moment, but when I look back on them after, I learn more than I ever could
from a good day. Some lessons stand out more than others.
Looking back on all of the bad days, I have learned quite a bit, considering I have been
on this Earth for 18 years now. The first lesson I could remember was that being kind is better
than getting back at someone. I had an enemy in the first grade, she shall not be named, but
she just didn’t like me for some reason. Throughout elementary school, I tried to be her friend,
despite her attempts to ruin my “social status”. Then junior high came, and there she is again,
proving the same belief she did in elementary. This girl was not a fan of mine. She repeated it in
high school until she moved. As I look back on it, I was really angry with her for a long amount
of time, but I was always nice to her. I pat myself on the back for that, because I never stooped
down to her level. I thank this girl for all of the bad days she gave me, because I have become a
better person from it.
Another lesson I have learned is that you can knock me down 9 times, but I will definitely
get up 10. Family has been an issue my entire life, and it has not been at any time pleasurable.
My parents are divorced, and both have remarried. Hooray for me right? Wrong. The amount of
drama this has caused me, could give anyone a migraine. My birth father has been the main
cause for it all, honestly. The moment I was born he decided I was the perfect person to
manipulate and guilt trip. He has caused probably 75 percent of my bad days. He knocked me
down so many times, but I always got back up! I have become a stronger person, and I am
thankful for those bad days. They have taught me that I am stronger than I will ever believe.
Now, I know there are more lessons that I have learned from life, but these are the ones
that always stand out to me. I use them with everyday challenges like school, work, home, and
with relationships. My heart aches typing this because I am so proud of the person that my
parents and I have built me to be. When I wake up every day, I am reminded of how strong and
kind I am. I will be forever grateful for the bad days, they have taught me more than any book or
teacher ever could.