After such a chaotic month, I could think of no better way to end the month than having a relaxing movie night with my grandma and grandpa. As soon as the fish fry ended, my grandparents brought me back to their house to watch Les Miserables. We curled up on the couch with two bags of kettle corn and hit play. By the end of the movie, I was filled with immense sadness. Though the title should have given away that the movie would be sad, I never realized just how sad it would really be.  Sitting cozy on my grandparent’s couch with a belly full of popcorn was the perfect way to end this chaotic month of March.

I looked at the sad, wilted plant in despair. After forgetting about the shamrock plant for nearly a week, I have been watering it just about every day. Now it seems that I have drowned the wilting leaves. I pick up the pretty pot with its dying plant inside and place it back on the window sill, hoping for a stroke of luck. The shamrock was supposed to be cute and festive to celebrate March, yet every time I get one, it ends up dying before the month is over. Two years ago my cat ate the leaves until the entire plant died so this year we made sure to keep it out of her reach. It seems our efforts were in vain, however. My cat never got to the plant, but somehow the pot still contains a soppy mess of mud and thin stems. Though shamrock are supposed to be the symbol of luck, I’ve never had luck with keeping them alive.

I bent my knees and concentrated hard on the opposing team. The girl served the ball in my direction and I quickly lined up my feet and got ready for the shot. Taking a deep breath, I swung through the ball. The ball fortunately landed in and the other team scrambled into place to return it. I quickly recovered to the base line, ready for the next shot. The ball flew back and forth over the net until I hit what would be the winning shot. The other team returned my hit, sending the ball flying high into the air. Watching in anticipation, my partner and I let out a sigh of relief as the girl’s shot landed out. We had finally won the match. I turned around to my partner, excited that the drawn out match had come to an end in our favor. We quickly shook hands with the other team before going to tell our coaches the score.

My fingers began to grow numb as I gripped the racket tightly. Ignoring the bitter air, I focused on my partner volleying the ball. The opposing team returned the ball over the net and I moved into position. I swung at the ball, driving it to the other side. We played the point out and then continued with the match. As we played, the sun began to poke out from behind the clouds. Warmth finally settled in and my fingers no longer felt numb. Soon the match ended and we left practice, prepared for the real competition tomorrow.

I woke up from my nap and groaned internally. All I wanted was to let sleep encompass me, and yet, I knew the cost of sleep. I still had to write my slice and an extra credit paper. If I fell asleep for good, none of these things would happen. Stripping the covers off from my body, I slowly rolled off of the couch. I grabbed the computer and reluctantly pulled up edublogs. With a yawn, I struggled through the remainder of my homework, fighting off the oncoming sleep.

I gripped the cold wheel tightly as I guided the car down the driveway. The car jerked over the potholes and I immediately slowed the car down. Every spring as the ground thaws, our driveway would turn into a muddy disaster. This year is no exception. Water splashed onto the side of the car as I hit another pothole. I flicked the windshield wipers, clearing the windshield of rain and water from the potholes. Slowing down even more, I gently turned into the garage. I checked both sides, trying to avoid hitting the mirror on the side of the garage. Once I was clear I rolled into the garage. Quickly pressing on the brakes, the car jolted to a stop. I am still unfamiliar with driving so stopping is still pretty jerky. I put the car in park. pulled out the keys, and got out.

Rain fell gently outside, pattering against the window as I pulled on my dance dress. Running out of time, I hastily blow dried my hair before running to the bathroom to brush my teeth. The morning had flown by too quickly and I was soon in the car on my way to the Day of Music.

My dance troupe met in our usual room and we quickly organized our dances. In just half an hour we were lined up on stage for our first dance. March had worn us all out so it took all of our energy to perform. The music started and we relied on the energy of the crowd and stage to fuel us as we danced. Forcing smiles on our faces, we wearily danced through our set list, giving it all of our energy. We finished the performance with a bow and then went to the craft show.

As the advanced troupe walked through the gym and looked at the booths, we all agreed that we were “danced out.” No matter how much we love dancing, this March has been a long month and we need a break.

I enjoyed the warm sun shining down on the courts. After a long, cold winter, the warmth of the spring sun was just what I needed. It felt great to be outside in just shorts and a t-shirt. The weather was perfect for playing tennis; not too hot, not too cold, and not too windy. I returned my focus to the coaches, concentrating on their advise. We continued to practice our serves. I tossed the ball, the sun glaring into my eyes and blinding me. The only thing that could make the weather better was cloud cover. The sun was shining down on us brightly, making it hard to hit serves and overheads. Nevertheless, we still enjoyed the nice weather.

New motivation filled me to write as we made plans to celebrate slice of life once again. After missing a day of writing this year, I realized just how busy and tired I have been. Now we have plans for the end, encouraging me to write no matter how busy my schedule. I took my newfound motivation and sat at the computer to write, hoping to tell a good story. No story came. Even though my day was plenty busy, the stories turned out short and boring. I finally settled on an idea and began to write.

A sinking feeling filled my chest as I realized I never wrote my slice yesterday. This year has been going by so fast and sports have taken up so much of  my time. Tennis and dance are currently the main aspects of my life and finding time to write is getting harder and harder. Slice of life, which used to once be a top priority, has suddenly become just one more thing to do. I sighed, still upset that I missed a day after two years of successfully completing the challenge. Vowing not to miss another day this month, I let my mind wander to something else.