One hour spent lost in thoughts of people and places you love is enough to give your heart wings to be free like a dove. One hour daydreaming about lovely places and faces and things brings more joy and ease than a hundred golden rings. When the rain is pouring, and the world is ending, one hour spent working is enough to make a happy ending.

  “Well, that was really lovely. But I don’t see how this is meant to help me,” I said.

  “Flip it over and read the other side,” Tiffany said. I did so.

  1 hour, farm work=100 fewer deaths

  2 hours, study=10 more days of sunshine

  3 hours, lost in happy thoughts= 100 more saved lives.

  "I don't understand," I said.

  “I thought you might have a few questions. Let me explain. I use this as a way of tricking myself into doing the right thing. Let’s say I’m out helping to clean the barn, and it is miserably hot outside. As I’m working, I imagine myself saving a life with every inch I clean. It makes the work feel more important and more worthwhile than it is!” I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. “It makes it feel like the things I do really matter. It makes it feel like I have more power. It’s amazing!”

  “Isn’t that like lying to yourself?” Maybe that was the wrong thing to say. I understood what she meant. There was just something in the way she was talking about it that I really didn’t like.

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  “Not really. Like I said, it’s more like tricking myself. I… I… know it doesn’t make as much of a difference as I want it to make, but hey, it helps me work hard.” But she’s always been hardworking, even when she was really small.

  “You’ve always put in lots of work, Tiffany. I don’t see why you need this.” Her shoulders slumped. Oh, why couldn’t I shut up and be a good sister for once? She was happy about this. She had been waiting to share it with me. And all I could do was hurt her feelings.

  “It’s not just about the work. It’s about me." Her voice became soft. I knew that had been what she was thinking. That was why I didn’t like this. “I was wondering if part of the reason you struggle to focus is because it feels pointless. Maybe this could help.”

  “Thank you, Tiffany. Your poem was lovely. But I’m not sure this fixes my issues.”

  “That’s alright. I’ve been using this mostly as a personal thing. I just wanted to know your thoughts on it. So…what are they?” Thoughts spun around in my head for a moment. Then my arms pulled Tiffany into a tight hug.

  “My thoughts are that you are amazing and lovable and every little thing you do makes a difference. Everything you make is wonderful and makes me feel amazing.” Her shoulders relaxed and she let out a sigh.

  “Thank you, thank you, Tyla. That means a lot,” Tiffany whispered. Delicate little baby Tiffany. It was crazy to me that she couldn’t see how perfect she already was. That was one of her few but strong flaws. I squeezed her tightly. But she was going to be okay. We were both going to be okay. We always had been, and we always would be. We returned downstairs to finish up our chores together. Classes with Miss Roberts' were going to start up the day after tomorrow.

  Miss Roberts just needed to work out a few things with my parents first. So, we had plenty of time to get things set up and ready. Tiffany insisted that I should at least leaf through a few of Miss Roberts's books to get a sense of her teaching style before we started class. I did so, but I knew very well I wasn’t going to like her style either way. I’d give it a shot anyway.

  I think back many times now to that slow evening as I finished up the last of my chores and helped Tiffany set things up. She chattered happily the whole time, and I listened with a smile on my face. If I had known, if I had known what was to come and how quickly things would change, what would I have done? What would I have thought? It’s shocking how suddenly things could change and how helpless change could make someone feel. I felt the way I had felt when Connie died. It’s a feeling that never becomes less shocking. But I also look back now and see very clearly that things can change for the worse, but also for the better.