Some Days Are Like That

The best children’s books speak to readers of all ages. One of my favorites is Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.* From the moment he wakes up until nightfall, everything goes wrong for Alexander. One mishap builds on another. He just wants to get away. He wants to move to Australia. At bedtime his mother says gently, “Some days are like that, even in Australia.”

Alexander’s troubles—and most of mine—are minor in the greater scheme of things. Still, when the little stuff all fails at once, it’s like being nibbled to death by guppies. Even knowing full well that computer crashes and burnt-dry tea kettles aren’t in a class with major surgery or job loss, I can border on tears when the guppies overwhelm.

How does Alexander reassure me? Without comparisons, shame, or denial, it reaffirms that this too shall pass. Like traumas and calamities, mishaps are part of human experience. It’s not a character flaw to feel stressed by an onslaught of transitory troubles. Some days are like that, even in Australia.

​* There’s also a movie. I’ve only watched the trailer. This is about the book.