You know when you’re eating a hot dog and you take a bite, but there’s still a chunk of the bottom part of the bun that you didn’t manage to wrap your mouth around, so you end up having to rip it off and throw it away? I really hope that doesn’t just happen to me because then I’d feel really dumb… But anyway, I thought about how that moment, when you’re indulging in a delicious hot dog with mustard (because I pray for those who eat ketchup on hot dogs) and relish and all those scrumptious toppings, can relate to life.

In my Italian class the other day, my professor asked me if I was an optimist or pessimist, and had he known me like my teachers in high school did, he wouldn’t have asked that question because I always try to be so positive. So, (once I had looked up all of the fancy vocabulary words I wanted to use and had conjugated the verbs properly in my head), I told him I was an optimist and that I like to see the good side of everything. But then he said, “why?”

And that threw me for a loop.

Why was I an optimist? Why did I just automatically say that? I have those days where nothing goes right and everything sucks. Believe me, I do. And yet, there I sat, in my class of six telling everyone I was an 'ottimista'. It took me a while to formulate a response (maybe it was just because I had to respond in Italian, but who knows) and finally I said “because constantly thinking about the bad things in life, or looking at everything in a negative light does no good. Thinking positively changes people”. Of course, the first thing he did was correct my grammatical mistakes and then said “Wow, good answer!"

I try to look forward to one thing each day; sometimes it’s my shower, or working out, or having lunch with my best friends. After a bad day, all I look forward to is curling up in bed, anxious to fall asleep and forget everything that happened that day. Sometimes I wake up and look forward to an upcoming trip or an event that’s a few weeks away. For you hopeless romantics out there (I’m the president of that club…), think about a boy you like. Whatever it is, make sure that it makes you smile and no one else. Be happy! Get excited! Live life the way you want to, because sometimes you just have to remember that the good memories will get you through the bad days.

So, long story short, life is like a hot dog. Eat and enjoy the delicious part of it, savor the flavors of street food that’s so simple but so good, and throw away the bottom half of the bun. Get rid of the bad things. It does you no good to dwell on your mistakes. Throw those little hunks of bun away; those carbs are useless.