The day starts out like any other day. Your five-in-a-row classes are over and your stomach is starting to harvest your organs, so you head over to your favorite drive-through. As you order your nutritious dinner and drive up to pay, you're mortified as the drive-through attendee informs you that your card was declined. You scavenge the cup holder in your car for any spare change and you turn up empty. "Okay, never mind, thank you!" you say, holding back a tear for those fries you were simply dying to eat, and then you find yourself slipping into the five stages of grief...
1. Denial
It must have been a mistake, right? The machine was probably broken because you just deposited $7 last week. You shouldn't even worry because it was clearly just the machine. You're good; you're swimming in cash.
2. Anger
You decide to check your bank account anyway and discover the horror. HOW did you let it get this much into negative? WHY do you not get paid $30 an hour? WHO is going to pay for your dinner? HOW are you ever gonna get more than -$17.22 in your bank account when you're unemployed? WHEN will you have a steady job with a good pay and have all your student loans paid off? You're so angry and overwhelmed and you're only friend at the moment is your sad and empty bank account. You could just scream.
3. Bargaining
You decide to hit up your parents for some of their spare change. They love you, so they'll have to make sure you eat tonight...right? You call your dad and it goes straight to voicemail. OK, maybe he's in a meeting. You try you mom next, but it only rings and rings. You hang up in frustration. You try your sister next; you lent her that $10 when you were 15 years old, she'll have to help! But no luck. Your stomach is growling and you're starting to lose hope.
4. Depression
Everything starts crashing down at once. You have no dinner. You have finals in two days. That guy never called you back. How much debt in loans are you really in? You're clothes are all so dirty you're wearing your roommates shamrock socks that she bought for a St. Patrick's day parade. Will anything ever go right in the world again? Will you ever eat? How much will you be charged for being in a negative balance this week? 5. Acceptance
You choke back the tears and drive back to campus. Surely one dining hall must be open. OK, so if you don't do laundry this week and don't need any gas for the rest of the semester, you can deposit about $20 of your "emergency money." You'll just go for dining hall pizza tonight and work it off tomorrow while you walk all over campus looking for employment. There's still a week left, someone HAS to be looking to hire...right?
It happens to the best of us. The dreaded few clicks it takes to check your bank balance are some of the most suspenseful moments in life. All you can do is hope for the best and go with the flow...and maybe check under the couch cushions for some spare change for those fries.
