“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.”  Robert Louis Stevenson 

In other words, do not judge the day by the outcomes you receive, but by the efforts and hard work you put into it. The words of Robert Louis Stevenson offer a perfect analogy for the situation we have today. 

Rushing to school every morning is very exciting during my school life. My mother constantly reminds me to hurry up and not be late. Sometimes I got in trouble because I woke up late in the mornings. I sometimes forget to complete my homework and then I pretend to find the notebook when the teacher asks for it. “Ha ha ha!”

I enjoy seeing the school environment every day. I love playing with my friends and doing our homework together. We get in trouble with our teachers sometimes because of our incomplete work. But with the examination time around the corner, the fun stops for a while, but not for long. It’s time to focus on studying for every subject.

Is it time to plant the seed in the soil? Waiting for the exam results with friends becomes fun and exciting. Now it is time for harvesting the results that we put in in the beginning. It is that time of the year where we make our parents proud. Luckily I received a big prize and sat on the top five of our level. Even though it has many ups and downs, it is all worth it in the end. 

School life determines a lot of things in our lives later on. Therefore we must strive to be good students, not just academically but also in other aspects. The period of succeeding brings joy and happiness to our life and builds a strong foundation. 

As Ralph Ransom said, “Before the reward, there must be labour. You plant before you harvest. You sow in tears before you reap joy.” 

And as Robert Louis Stevenson said, “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.”

 • Gerrald Fuifui Ah Ping is a Year 4 student at the Lalomalava Primary School with this literary piece from him getting 2nd prize in the Year 4 English category of the Samoa Observer Short Story Competition.