4am. You wake up to a car alarm blaring outside your dorm. The abrupt awakening dehydrates you so you descend from your 14 ft bunk bed, lose your footing, and in a tragically hip demeanor fall to the floor alarming your roommate. By chapel, you realize the shit you wore to look put together is inside out and a tag has been poking out, exposing itself as you raced around campus. Lunch rolls around and a handful scrumptious Memo cookies soothes your soul. Your mouth waters in excitement, until a pesky, gooey chocolate chip lands too close to your Netherlands on your white pants. What more could this day bring you ask? I’ll allow the rest of you to fill in the grand finale of this horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day. We’ve all experienced them. If you are lucky, they become so absurd you can get a good chuckle out of them. But for most, a medal needs to be awarded for getting through it. When you feel as if a rain cloud has married you for the day, here are some tips to divorce it.

1. Listen to “Theme from New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra while walking around Baylor’s beautiful campus.

This is step one and must be done first. If you have never listened to Sinatra’s catchy croak, stop reading this essay and listen to this song. I guarantee if you read some of the lyrics and sing along, a hint of a smile will begin to stretch across your face. I’m pro headphones while walking to class and this song definitely enhances my day. It fosters a new perspective and changes the lens in which you will see the world. You will feel more confident about what you are wearing, develop good feelings about the day ahead, and become more sociable. Even the people walking around you will appear happier. So, start with Frank Sinatra in max volume.

2. Talk to a random stranger and make a new friend.

When you’ve been theoretically drenched from your new spouse, the dreary rain cloud, you cannot possibly be in a worst state than you already are. You can either be wet or dry. The good news is that despair on these days can usually give an unusual level of confidence. We think, “my day has already been so pitiful, it cannot get much worst”. Step two utilizes this level of confidence and pushes us to interact in ways our sane, normal self would not otherwise. New people can spur anomalous ideas and introduce us to new world. A new friend actually introduced me to the Odyssey. So, take advantage of your I-don’t-give-a-crap-anymore attitude and converse with the people around you.

3. Don’t hide from the world, just smile.

Step three is more of a reminder than a tip. It is a reminder that joy is always attainable. Even in a horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day, one smile can change your entire viewpoint. When nothing seems to be going right, don’t run away and hide under a blanket. The day is still developing, waiting for you to live it. Stroll to some Frank Sinatra, treat yourself to Starbucks, visit with a fellow Baylor Bear (or Lady and Joy), and smile.

If you have any other tips, I would love to hear them. You can never be too prepared for when that rain cloud hits.