"A Day Before"

By: Hazel Toque

We all have our own trials and challenges in life. I know, they're inevitable but through faith,
everything can be surpassed.
--
 It's a wonderful day - a day perfect for anyone under the sun. Hannah, together with her team, are
practicing for the dance competition tomorrow. They've been competing ever since, but today is
different. Her team hardly prepared for their upcoming routine and most of them already lost
motivation. Losing 3 times in a row for the past week was so much for them, then add the finals later -
in which they're really unsure of. All of them are expecting to come home with nothing, but Hannah
still has the game face on, combined with desperation. She wouldn't let anyone get in their way
again, even if it means pulling others down.
-
 In the middle of our practices, my phone suddenly rang. "Hello?" "Really? Okay sure!. I'll be there in
a bit. Bye!" It was my closest friend back in high school which I haven't seen for years. Why did she
call though? It must be something important. Her location isn't far anyway so i'll just drop by. "Hey
guys! Continue practicing, i'll be back in a while." I immediately drove off to the nearest café.
"Hi Dara! What brought you here? Missed you so much!"
"My gosh you weren't informed? Trina and I will be be one of the judges tomorrow in the dance
competition you're in! Best of luck to your team! I assure you, I got your back."
"I'm actually really worried. I really want to win, although it seems impossible, especially now that
we've been losing for a week."
Our conversation was cut short because I still have to go back and be with my team. To my
disappointment, our routine wasn't even close to being polished! We only have a day left and I doubt
everything will go well. Then something came up. We need to win. I need to win. And since, there's
nothing else left to do, I decided that I have talk to the judges, who happened to be my close friends,
to twitch the results - if ever.
8:00 am. The morning before the big day. Yes, we hardly prepared but I know we're going to win this
time. I checked on my teammates first, and I was about to leave when I saw my former coach,
heading toward our place. Uh oh.
"Hey Hannah! Surprised? Goodluck to you guys later! But of course, I have to watch you first before
anyone else."
We had our routine, and as I - as everyone expected, she was disappointed.
"Was that even your best, Hannah? I expected more from you. I never left you like that. Now that you
have your own team, you should be better, but what happened? What happened to the Hannah that I
handled before?"
I couldn't take it anymore. I broke down, in front of everyone. I felt so guilty, and told them the truth
that I merely relied on my friends being the judges later in order to win.
"Hannah, life is full of trials - trials that can either make or break you, and it's your choice how to
handle it. Sometimes the easiest way to the top can be a trap in the end, and sometimes the hardest
way is a blessing in disguise. We all crave for the winning part, when in fact all you get there is a
trophy and a title. In order to get the real trophy in life, you should go through hardships and sacrifices
first - the ones wherein you can get the lessons, learnings, and experiences that you will need in order
to succeed. If it seems like everyone is pulling you down, have faith. Faith in yourself, and most of all,
God. With your faith, confidence and God's power combined, nothing will be impossible."
With that, everyone realized what needs to be realized. Everything came back again in a rush, and I
never felt so motivated like this before.
"Thank you coach, thank you."
-
1:00 pm. An hour before the event. I quickly changed, and waited for the best that will ever happen.
***
Lesson/s:
1. Do not abuse the power/privileges that are given to you. In order to get something, you must work
hard for it. Saul once disobeyed God, and was blinded by the power given to him before.
2. Faith, both in yourself and in God, can be a big help towards success in anything. Like Jesus'
disciples, walking on water became possible because they believed that they would.
3. When lost and don't know what to do, just pray. Pray that everything will turn out not just the way
you want it, but also according to God's plan and will.