Have you ever considered what life would be like if there was a tiny shift in the alignment of our planet with the alignment of other planets? Would life end instantly? Would we all eventually die off because tsunamis, earthquakes, eruptions, droughts, and deadly frosts would leave us helpless, or worse, hopeless? One little shift in our tiny, fragile planet and the people that think that they "make the world go 'round" will no longer think that. As much as we want to control whatever happens around us, fortunately we do not.
Recently I have been reading the book 'Life as We Knew It.' When I first picked up the book, I just picked it because I needed something interesting to journal about. But, as I began to read the book, I became absorbed in the text. 'Life as We Knew It' is a book about a normal teenage girl whose average life takes a sudden shift when a meteor crashes into the moon and knocks it off of its axis. The moon then is pulled closer to the Earth. As we all know, the moon controls the tides, so tsunamis break out everywhere causing not only cities, but countries to disappear under the water. Volcanic eruptions break out all over the world, earthquakes destroy cities, and frosts cause a famine. Now, Miranda, a regular sixteen year old girl must not only keep herself alive, but her family as well.
As I read this book, I noticed how Miranda matured. In the beginning, she was all about herself.
"Now do you see how lucky we are"’ Miranda's mom demanded.
"‘I never said we weren’t!" I yelled, because I hadn’t. Or at least I hadn’t today. All I did was ask if things were getting better, which isn’t exactly the same as saying I wish we had electricity and hot chocolate and television and a prom with an actual date to look forward to.”
But, Miranda finally realized that not only has her life been altered, but so has everyone elses around her.
“Every day when I go to sleep I think what a jerk I was to have felt sorry for myself the day before. My Wednesdays are worse than my Tuesdays, my Tuesdays way worse than my Tuesday of a week before. Which means every tomorrow is going to be worse than every today. Why feel sorry for myself today when tomorrow’s bound to be worse? It’s a hell of a philosophy, but it’s all I’ve got.”
This book has made me take a second look at what is important to me and to what I find valuable. Are the things that I value the things that would help me through struggling times like the one that Miranda endures? No, the things that I value are the things that would be useless without the use of electricity and a satellite signal. 'Life as We Knew It' is a touching book that makes you grateful that we do not "make the world go 'round."
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