It was a normal day. Nothing too special. The sun was shining and the sky was a pretty shade of blue. Campus was alive and people were going to their respected destinations. Nothing signaled a bad day. It only was the second week of school, homework was being assigned, clubs were meeting and assignment due dates were creeping up.

Like any ordinary Friday, I woke up around 11:30 a.m. and proceeded to not physically get out of bed until after noon time. Not having classes on Friday is a college students dream. My sorority sisters and I eat lunch every day between noon and 1:00 pm. Again, nothing at that point in time had indicated I was going to receive some hard news.

As the day went on normally, I had decided to dye my hair that day because I felt like there needed to be change. Campus was hosting events, but a few friends and I stayed behind to hang out with an alumnus who was coming to visit for the night. From there, we sang songs, laughed at each other and carried on like people do on weekends.

My campus has a small pub on the ground floor of a student center building. It was open late, so we had decided to take a trip over. As we entered the pub, we were asked for identification, and this came at no surprise. It is actually mandated by our university to have a campus public safety officer at the door.

We all had gone inside and sat down at the bar. There were snacks set out and people ready to serve us drinks. I am a broke college student, so I had not bought a drink but had shown up to spend time with everyone. I was not even on my phone for a few minutes and in that time frame, I had missed two calls from my parents and a voicemail. I jumped up to return their call and walked to the door of the pub, so I could hear them.

My dad had answered with my mom in the background. Like usual, I greeted them by asking how their day was and what they'd been up to at the moment. They were at home, which, I guess, made it easier to break the bad news. My dad gets a certain tone in his voice when something bad has happened or when he need to express something serious, so I had known fairly quickly something had been wrong.

He began by telling me he had some bad news. I had tried to guess what it was, but don't remember much else before I asked if it was about Princess (my dog.) "She passed away last night." Why I cannot hold my emotions in, I do not know. but I went silent for a few moments and then burst into tears. Yes, I was still standing outside of the pub door at that time and yes, people were staring at me as I struggled to collect myself. My parents then told me that my car was not fixable and that I would have to go without one for quite some time.

While trying to process what had just happened, a girl that had been in the common area outside of the pub approached me to ask if I was alright and she proceeded to give me a hug after I muttered out what my parents had told me. Shortly after that, my friends who had originally arrived with, came up to help slow down my outward look of distress. From then on, I tried to go about the rest of the night and next few days normally, but there was a feeling of uneasiness the whole time.

Many people go through losses daily and it can be hard to combat the feelings of stress, anger, sadness and whatever else comes with unfortunate news. There are also many ways to cope with these feelings. Surrounding yourself with people who will shower you in love and distractions long enough to get a hold of the situation comfortably is a good option and exactly what had happened for me.

Listening to music that pumps you up, no matter the mood is such a good way to help lift up your spirit. Bands like Florida Georgia Line and other pop artists are what I found myself listening too. Also, going out and making yourself busy, similarly to what I had done, by going go a party the following day and seeing my boyfriend, can be a positive way to help sort the feelings out. And sure, no matter what happens, the feelings will unfortunately linger.

Every time since that Friday, I've seen cute pictures of my dog, or have remembered some of the seriously amazing memories I had with my friends and family in my car, and as a result, tears come to my eyes. Like someone explained it to me, a comfortable era in life has come to an end, but that means something new and good will be right behind it.