I Spilled Coffee on My SATS Now What?

“Don’t sweat the small stuff…and it’s all small stuff.”
– Richard Carlson

Ever look back on something that you thought was the end of the world years later and laugh? That’s a YES for me, and I’m sure everyone can agree.

While I am a firm believer in taking things one day at a time, or even one hour at a time (as an anxiety-ridden human). However, something else we should all try to be mindful of is “Don’t sweat the small stuff.”

Here’s a quick story for you about a time where I quite literally thought my entire future was OVER in the blink of an eye, or a spill of a coffee for that matter…

Senior year of high school, 2010, the most important test of my academic career to date–the SAT’s.

As someone who already had academic challenges, I was very aware that standardized tests were not my thing, and to be quite honest if they were my thing, I can guarantee that I would not be doing what I am NOW.

(To those of you that standardized tests are your thing, CONGRATS if/WHEN I hit it big one day you can be my financial advisor!)

PICTURE THIS, an ADD/ADHD girl who literally went to an all-girl school her ENTIRE LIFE, except for pre-school, now in a classroom with BOYS.

To make things interesting (and probably for attention), I thought I would show my “sporty side” by wearing a NEON YELLOW lacrosse sweatshirt. Oh, the sweatshirt literally just said “LACROSSE”, like no specific team or what not, quite literally inclusive of the entire sport of “LACROSSE”. (An added note, I was cut from the lacrosse team after freshman year, so maybe I was rebelling, who knows.)

I found my room assignment (sorry to anyone with the last name G) and entered the room with my VENTI coffee and large water in tow.

I remember as CLEAR AS DAY the instructor stating that the SAT rules specified that you couldn’t have beverages during the test, but she dismissed this and said; “We’re all adults, I think you can handle a beverage.”

Well, first of ALL, I love rule breakers and as a newly turned 18 year old “adult” I was loving my FREEDOM…(hello, neon yellow lacrosse sweatshirt.)

So, the test is in session, we’re halfway through, and I’ve probably gone through like thirteen erasers. We’re in the MATH section, AKA my worst subject ever, when I KNOCKED over my entire VENTI COFFEE.

The SATS were covered!

The proctor decided to now stick to the “you cannot leave your seat rule”, so I sat there in sheer panic, not allowed to move and also not allowed to talk.

I used my neon yellow sweatshirt to clean up, and the proctor simply instructed me to keep going but she was not sure if the test would be able to be graded in the machine.

I finished the test and remember leaving balling my eyes out. I called my SAT tutor a million times leaving frantic voicemails.

To no surprise he didn’t know if coffee spills would effect the grading, as he said that he’s never come across this (shocker) and was surprised I was allowed a beverage into the room (freedom isn’t always amazing people).

I was honestly devastated and almost inconsolable for the entire rest of the week, and in a panic and anxiety-ridden state in the weeks that followed waiting to get the results back.

I got the results back and the test was able to be graded. All of my worrying, ruminating and panic over my ruined FUTURE for nothing. Honestly this was probably the start of my acid reflex developing as well.

The moral of the story is…

• DO NOT STRESS OVER WHAT IS OUT OF YOUR CONTROL
• DO NOT SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF
• BEING AN ADULT IS NOT ALWAYS WHAT ITS CRACKED UP TO BE
• THINK “BIG PICTURE”

And this is the MOST IMPORTANT, so remember it:
NEON YELLOW is NEVER a good idea, but it does serve nicely as a napkin.

I thought that my SAT trauma would be the biggest thing to happen to the SAT world, HOWEVER Lori Loughlin takes the cake on this one. (Okay that was mean, I must be channeling my inner neon yellow sweatshirt energy vibes.)

“The Comeback is always greater than the Setback.”
– Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, “Jersey Shore”

Vibes
Xo,