Life can be difficult. For a teenager, school is considered mostly a supplier of homework and tests. For an adult, every day is work with barely any break. For me, I face many problems and difficulties throughout life, such as learning to ride a bicycle, eating mushrooms, coping with a new environment, and, of course, the one thing that consumes most of a teenager’s life: school. Despite the variety of obstacles, what I find all in common is that I always try to find the comfort and joy within the hardships. By doing this, I view the positive side of the challenge, look for details that relate to the things that I cherish, and overcome the displeasure in it. After all, that was how “The Girl Who Fell From the Sky” survived her unthinkable and deadly situation. Involving comfort within the discomfort is crucial to surviving obstacles each day.

While a typical day at school generally takes up to six hours, a typical student receives daily assignments from almost every class that would eventually stack up into a mountain. This ends up in more hours consumed in order to complete the assigned homework. What if multiple exams are scheduled on the same day? Well, it is a situation that happens quite frequently, either to me or my friends. Whenever I ask my friends how their day is going so far, I receive similar answers.

“I’m so tired.”

“I have so much homework today.”

“I have four tests and two quizzes this week. My week is going really great.”

At times, during lunch, I would also see my friend studying for her test instead of eating and refilling her energy. Even a short time off is used for more studying. For me, my regular day does not necessarily become better as I have afternoon basketball practice that lasts until six-thirty. Going home with sweat covering my face and my energy draining, I would complete my assignments at eight o’clock on a normal day at least, and at midnight on the night before a test. Because my sleep schedule is not stable and I get less sleep, it can be difficult to focus during the day. Regardless of all the difficulties that can be stressful and overwhelming every so often, it is not exceedingly awful once I cope with it and view it as a normal, daily life.

Being forced to read long and difficult novels is not my greatest hobby, but reading itself is not boring if the book is intriguing or comedic. For example, the novel To Kill a Mockingbird is out of the ordinary. Not only does it talk about racial prejudice expressed in the past and other important themes, but it also shows the relatable and pure sibling-hood of Scout and Jem. Although the both of them do get in fights, they still get along during the most difficult times, which I can definitely connect to with my sister. I also learned that reading does not have to be AP-level, but can also be fun and enjoyable comics or manga, such as Mob Psycho 100 and Jujutsu Kaisen. Even graphic books with little words can contain meaningful lessons in them. Reading is not all about analyzing all the themes and messages, but simply enjoying the story and plot.

Although school takes away most of my time and gives me more work, it also provides me an advantage to meet my friends. During lunchtime, I am able to eat with the people whom I cherish, and socialize with them. Furthermore, I view the positive side of homework as additional help in understanding the topic more. Even though I may not be able to carry out my other hobbies during school days, I still have the ability to find the details I enjoy in the unpleasant things, such as perceiving math problems as mystery cases or playing music while doing homework. I do not always have to go through obstacles alone; there are people around me who can assist me in understanding certain lessons. It is better to take each step slowly and carefully instead of rushing through everything.

While basketball consumes my time doing my assignments, it is a sport that I notably enjoy and is one of my hobbies. Not only am I able to exercise and remain healthy, but also have a rest from school and make new friends. Moreover, I can improve my overall skills and teamwork. The feeling I receive whenever my teammates and I score a point is just satisfying. I love basketball because it is basketball. It is a distraction from all my problems in life as it represents an intermission that allows me to interact with friends. Although I return home exhausted and drenched in sweat, I am also welcomed with my family and a warm meal surrounding me – all my worries would suddenly vanish.

In life, there are unwanted challenges building walls around me, but I have my family and the things I greatly value that aid me in moving forward by using comfort to conceal the discomfort.