The End -Matthew West
Well it was raining when I woke up this morning
So, to escape it I went back to bed
But then the rain started leaking through the ceiling
And pretty soon it was pouring on my head
Sometimes it follows you home
Like an old stray dog, it won't leave you alone

Chorus:
It's not the end
The end of the world
It's just another day depending on grace
It's not the end
The end of the world
It's just another day, don't sleep it all away

So I jumped into my car and hit the freeway
Found a sunny spot so I could work on my tan
But just as soon as I stepped one foot in the ocean
From out of nowhere it came pouring down again
Sometimes it rains all over your parade
It's like you're reaching for the sun, and you're landing in the shade

Bridge:
Well, the moral of the story is
Sometimes life takes so much more than it gives
But the one who makes the air I breathe
Is the one who'll fix the ceiling when it starts to leak
It may look like the end but it's only the beginning

Cause It's not the end
It's not the end of the world
It's just another day
It's not the end
It's not the end of the world,
No, it's not the end
It's not the end
Still not the end
It's not the end
I bet you're wondering when this song's gonna end
But it's not the end
Cause I'm singing this song and I get to decide when it's the end
And it's not the end
Well it's almost the end
I guess you could say it's nearing the end
But it's not the end
It's not the end
It's not the end
It's almost the end
Ok I think it's the end

Hmmm. That is one song that's fun to listen to.This song is one of those travel songs...you can play it in your car and look out the window(if you're not driving) and think "this is the life!!" while you laugh at this singer's bad day.
Bad day.Hey! that was today....

I woke up at eight.I looked at the ceiling fan for a good ten minutes, thinking.."a new day, new beginning, new opportunities!!" (yeah, a melodramatic beginning).
And then, I slowly rubbed my eyes and realised "today is not monday, not tuesday........it's friday!!" UP UP UP!! wake up!
This is the reason why I have never understood the phrase 'up-at-dawn'.

Friday is a full day at college, 9 to 5.As I get ready in the morning, I wonder if I've forgotten to do SOME work that had to be done by today...
I pull out something to wear while I tell myself I need more clothes.I do that every morning.
I look at myself in the mirror.No zits today.So far, so good.OR not.I look at my hair.No, no silky shine today, folks.It's the wispy unkempt look today then.It's one of those dreadful BAD HAIR DAYS.I remind myself to get a funky haircut this weekend.
My mom is trying to fix me breakfast...time's ticking...I tell her it's too late and manage with some grape juice and watermelon.And that would've been a 'healthy' breakfast if I was a salad person.Except,I'm not.
I reach college JUST in time...I enter Graphics Lab and then it hits me...I had to prepare the programs for today.By the time I think up a good reason for not doing so,
I hear my very stern lecturer telling me to "go to the library, write the programs and THEN enter the lab."
OK sir, I will.I walk out of the lab...not emotionally hurt, just bummed.I look back to find two of my kind, marching to the library.We're a team against the system.We crib about the management and the 'infrastructure'.We all know we've been careless and lazy and irresponsible(err..is it just ME?)...but hey, it's the wrong time to talk about that kinda stuff!
Well, we somehow make it through lab and I even find time to grab a chocolate bun for my poor tummy.Soon, one theory class is out of the way.Time for lunch!A large group of us, all talking at the same time, and passing food around...someone asks ant-elephant questions, someone asks questions from Shakuntala Devi's 'Puzzles to Puzzle you'(imaginative title, too!), some discuss movies and books.Not me, I'm in a small group discussing hair.My eager-to-help friends tell me I need a "feather cut. no wait, your hair is thick, you should try step or maybe razor cut.it's in."
Some nitwits clarify if it's 'razor cut' or a 'laser cut'..."they cut your hair with a laser beam??"Go on, roll your eyes.
Speaking of cuts, cut to me.At four pm.Last hour cancelled.My buddy and I take two cups of coffee to the brood of bored youth.The cups are passed around quickly and somehow, as always...I end up with empty cups in my hand. Why me?? Because I want to save the world.I can't throw crushed plastic cups on the grass.In my book,it's a sin.They know it.And that's why my bag is full of chocolate and gum wrappers.I don't sit down on the pavement.I explain that my new cotton pants might get dirty...I hear the usual 'oohs' and 'aahs' and I shrug.It would've been a cool thing, too.BUT NO, this is me, remember?? Good old, animated me.I shrug with too much vigour and coffee from the SUPPOSED-TO-BE-EMPTY cups spills over my new pants.GREAT.A few mocking laughs later, the nuts actually help me get rid of the stains.I tell myself I'll live.
An hour later, I get home, knock on my door and guess who opens the door?My 9 year old niece.She's visiting with her sister, a six year old.I tell myself "today's not over.YET."
My nieces are a joy to play with, but babysitting them is a job for the valiant.They cling on to me and ask me questions.Most of them, I don't want to answer.Some of them, I can't.
The six year old has just learnt the art of entertaining a crowd with a game of Dumb Charades.She makes gestures in the air and tells me to guess.I try to give smart answers.
I could go on about the rest of my day...but I won't.

To cut a long, very detailed story short, I somehow made it to a music event in the evening...dragged my nieces along, too.They had a blast.And soon, I was singing my way out of the blues.

Sometimes it follows you home
Like an old stray dog, it won't leave you alone.

But it's not the end.