Comfort Zone

Have you ever been to a birthday party where the parents have ordered one of those huge inflatable bounce houses? I once had a friend describe to me as that being her comfort zone. She was okay in certain places and certain situations, but outside of that it was tough for her to describe how she felt and what to do. I have been there too. I think everyone has had at one point in their lives. The difference is what we plan to do once we have to come to this realization.

I believe that comfort zones are really just a folly. I know who I am. I know my potential. And I know that as long as I refuse to doubt and trust in the Lord, then all things are possible. I know this because I have experienced it and I hope to experience it again. If we know who we are, we become comfortable in almost any situation because we know how to act. It is almost like our bounce house has become our very skin. If I know who I am, I can become comfortable with being myself. I can walk anywhere, go anywhere, be anywhere, and be okay being my true self. This means that I can even go into someone else's bounce house and be where they are. All they have to do is let me in without pelting me with all the plastic balls that are in there. You know the ones I am talking about. But why would I risk it? First off those stupid little balls don't hurt that badly to begin with, but if you are able to get someone to come out of their comfort zone and see the world for how it really is... isn't that worth it?

It's cold. Can we cuddle?

I thought it was a good idea, and I swear that I had everything planned out to a tee. We were going to go out to the canyons and watch a movie with a big group of people and I had asked a bunch of people to go, girls and guys. I even had a date. Then life began to set in. If you invite girls, people, to anything remember the 10% rule. Similar to tithing, you only need to worry about 10%, in this case it is the number of people you invited. The rest will be lame and not come. So in any case, out of all the people I talked to, pretty much only my roommate came. Otherwise, everyone else were from a different group. So my plan of bringing a blanket was a bust minus the fact that now we got to sit on it instead of using it properly.

We get up there and my friend Spencer, which the party was his idea, couldn't figure out how to set up the sheet for the projector. He and I put our heads together and with a little "magic" it was up and ready to go. Now this is Utah, so at nights the desert gets cold so the canyon also has that same wonderful feature. I had lent out my blanket to someone else, and I will be honest it was getting a little cold. The girl in front of me wasn't fairing much better. While the rest of her friends were all cuddling up together she sat alone. I tried thinking of a million ways to put it to her and the best option I could come up with was just two simple statements of honest truth: "It's cold. Can we cuddle?" Body heat is a wonderful thing, but I simply couldn't do that to a complete stranger. Instead I stood up, walked around a bit, let the blood start flowing again, that kind of thing. And I realized something interesting about myself.

I know that I am a huge movie junkie. I have known that for years. Still, I am out in a canyon on a beautiful starry night, there are fires going, a stream behind us. And the only thing I can think that I really want to do is go explore. I want to walk around, look at the stars, listen to the water rush by. It is almost like it is calling to me! I definitely think the apostles have it right. Don't take a girl on a date to a movie, canyon or movie theater, it doesn't matter. It isn't social. It is just plain stupid. The end of the story you wonder? Well, lucky me, my wanderings were able to prepare me for the unexpected. I ended up not being in the middle of the sprinklers when they decided to come on. What a wonderful surprise! It was a fun and interesting night with a lot of laughs but it was so cold... You'd think everyone would want to cuddle.

Behold the Man (Chapter 7)

I really enjoy reading books and sometimes I find things that are real good eye openers. I liked this one a lot and so I am just going to quote it but bear with me...

"Now, for the both of you, as you know, the first marriage of all marriages was performed by God himself, between Father Adam and Mother Eve. Not only is this proof of the sanctity of marriage and its centrality for all mankind, but there is much in the account thereof which provides instruction for us.

"When Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden, he was alone. After a time, the Lord God, blessed be his name, made a profound declaration. Said he: 'It is not good for man to be alone.'"

He leaned forward, as earnest as Simeon could ever remember seeing him. "Consider on that statement for a moment, Simeon and Yehuda. That is a divine declaration. 'It is not good for man to be alone.'"

David let that sink in, his eyes challenging them to ponder the import of those words. Then he went on. "After declaring that it is not good for man to be alone, the Holy One of Israel made a second, most significant declaration. He said, 'I shall make an help meet for him.' That is a most instructive term, 'help meet.' In the original Hebrew of the sacred writ the phrase is ezer knegdo. Some have translated that phrase to mean a helper or a help mate. That is not true to the deeper meaning of the phrase. Helper would imply a superior role for men and a helping or inferior role for women. Many feel that way, of course, and treat their wives as chattel, but that is not what the Creator of us all declared. Knegdo means to 'meet' or to have two things brought together. But it carries a much deeper connotation, where one finds something that is equal to something else. In other words, a help meet is a person who helps us 'meet ourselves,' like looking into a mirror and seeing yourself."

Both Yehuda and Simeon were listening intently. They knew the words of course, but they had not heard it defined in exactly this way.

"What then follows is the creation of Eve. And here, too, there is much for us to learn from the sacred word. You know it well. The Lord God caused a deep sleep to come upon Adam, and he took from his side a rib, and from that rib he created woman."

Simeon's father smiled thoughtfully. "I've wondered if the Lord couched this account in imagery to teach us important truths. It is a widespread supposition, for example, that men have one less rib than women, a fact that Luke, our physician here, assures me is not the case. But be that as it may, what do we learn from the story of the rib?"

Simeon tentatively raised a hand. "I've heard it said that woman was taken from Adam's side because it is closest to his heart, suggesting that she should walk beside him always."

"Yes, I'm sure that is part of it. If Eve had been taken from Adam's head, then she would rule over him. If she was taken from his foot, he would rule over her. If from his hand, she would be only a tool to do his bidding. To be taken from the side is beautiful imagery and teaches us much about how we are to treat our wives. But I think there is something much more profound than that."

The two men waited expectantly, not yet seeing what it was David was suggesting.

"Once Eve was created from the bone taken from Adam, what follows in the account?"

"The commandment for them to become one flesh," Yehuda replied.

"Yes. Think about that. Adam now has a help meet, or in other words, he has finally met his equal. And the Lord now says, 'Therefore'- in other words, because I have created woman and brought her to you- 'Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife."

David ben Joseph stopped and turned his head. In the distance, as though barely a whisper, the first cries of the approaching wedding party could be heard. He turned back quickly. "Think of that interesting choice of verbs for a moment. Normally, 'to cleave' means to cut asunder, to split into two parts. We speak, for example, of the camel having a cloven hoof. But in our language, that word also carries the opposite meaning. It means to put back together two things that have been separated, to join them so tightly one to the other it is as if there was no original separation.

"And here, my two young sons, is the key to understanding how God views this sacred relationship between a man and a woman. Adam had something cut away from him, cloven from his side. He was missing something. He was not whole any longer. So what is the solution? How does a man become whole again?"

"By cleaving to our wives," Simeon said in wonder.

"Yes. By cleaving to the only creation that is truly equal to us. And when we cleave together- or better, cleave back together- we become whole once again. We become not two, but one- one in flesh, one in mind, one in spirit. Then and only then, can man be fully complete."

Simeon was struck with another thought. No wonder his mother and father loved each other as they did. This was the basis for that love: total respect for each other, viewing themselves as different but of equal importance.

-Gerald N. Lund

Graceful

Grace is nothing more than slowing things down and lengthening a controlled motion. It is perspective. A walk is really a fall. A run is a different form of someone tripping. A song is a cry or a scream. I guess beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. Beauty comes from self-control, repetition, and again a unique sense of perspective.

History of Creativity

I had my first lecture in my History of Creativity class. It was rather interesting to say the least but it definitely is going to make me stretch. I made a goal in class to help myself work on my creativity and it was to think about things from alternative perspectives and question things. It didn't take much time either! By the time I got home I was practicing as much as I could.

Razors... why are they flat? Is it because they are made to be like wedges? Is it because the metal can be made to be stronger and sharper through different manufacturing processes? (This is the engineer coming out in me...) Either way, a better study of inventions brings about new ways for application or redesigning of materials.

Why do toothbrushes have bristles? Baleen whales kind of have bristles... their teeth siphon or pick out the food particles from the water so they can swallow them. We obviously use the bristles on a toothbrush to pick out food so we can spit it out, but if we really wanted to I guess we could swallow them. Have you noticed that buildings are like trees in their construction? Energy is pushed through wires or tubes to supply the structure with its needs: electricity, plumbing, nutrients, sugar, etc. In the meantime, the unique construction also provides insulation, protection, strength, and almost a sense of majestic dignity or size. I guess why they call metropolitan areas urban forests. Maybe a better study of nature can bring about a way to think creatively or inventively by trying to imitate characteristics found in world around us.

Have you ever tried the different flavors of peanut butter? Did you even know that you could taste more than one flavor for peanut butter? Try tasting it on different areas of your tongue. When you use the front of your tongue, licking the peanut butter will taste more like peanuts, much like you are used to. Now try spreading it on the back of your tongue with your finger and it may taste a lot more like butter than peanuts. Crazy, huh? Peanut butter has oil. This is why it sticks to a knife and water runs off of it when you try to clean it. Oil is used to protect metal from water, both as a lubricant and to keep it from rusting. Sounds like a clever application of natural biological, physical, and chemical properties.

And all of this happened since I had dinner! I hope I will be able to come up with a good idea for my project in the class. Very different...

Planning to Start Over

Well this is the last weekend I have until school starts again. I luckily have been able to get most of the major things accomplished so far and hopefully, just doing that will help me organize things and be able to relax for the rest of it. It has been a great way to finish off the summer. I went golfing a couple of times with my dad, my brother, and family friends. I was able to spend time with my niece and the rest of my brother's family. Read about a half dozen books, almost finishing a series. It has been a great summer, both relaxing and a lot of fun. Still, I think it is good to have a plan and to set some goals for these upcoming semesters.

I have never really been a big fan of goals but who knows? Maybe if I actually work on these and look back at them from time to time I might be able to reach them. Start small and work bigger. And how else am I supposed to know if I am being successful if there is nothing to measure my success against. So if I am going to be starting over, I might as well have a plan.

1. I figure the most important thing is my health. If you don't have that, then really what do you have? So I am making a goal to not only keep track of it but find a way to send any information that my doctors may require to them. Plus, I think it would be good if I set up some sort of exercise routine. Running is always good but I need to work my upper body and core more. So physically I am going to clean up my act and set better exercise habits.

2. Spiritually, I need to do a couple of things. I need to improve my temple attendance. I live in Utah now for heaven's sake. How hard could it be? Twice a month shouldn't be too hard. I also need to work on developing a habit of steady daily scripture reading and study. I think if I am able to do this, a lot of things would naturally begin to fall in place. If I am spiritually and physically balanced, I will be at the top of my game.

3. I need to make sure that school is a priority. I worked my tail off this summer so I wouldn't have to work during the semester and could concentrate fully on my studies. If this is to be something measurable, then what I am going to shoot for is that by next semester I will have applied for and have been given an academic scholarship. I had one as a Freshman and then I just forgot to reapply after I got back from my mission. I should get on that again.

4. When it comes to my family, I am going to miss them a lot and even though I consider myself pretty well connected and I feel like I talk to them a lot, I need to do better. I need to be consistent. I need to call not just my mother often but my dad too... just to talk, ask for advice, tell them I love and appreciate them, etc. I need to skype weekly on Sundays. I will also try to figure out a way to squeeze my grandparents in there too (phone call, message once in a while).

5. Lastly, I am not going to focus so much on dating. And by dating I mean trying to find or form a relationship. I need solid friendships first. I need to meet people, try to be natural, and just make the best of everything, and just have fun. I don't need to put pressure on myself because when I do, everyone notices. I need to be patient and just slow down. So this semester, the goal is friends... next semester, well we will see where we are when we get there and then who knows? Goals are meant to be flexible, right?

A Beautiful Mind

"What truly is logic? Who decides reason? My quest has taken me to the physical, the metaphysical, the delusional, and back. I have made the most important discovery of my career - the most important discovery of my life. It is only in the mysterious equations of love that any logic or reason can be found. I am only here tonight because of you. You are the only reason I am. You are all my reasons. Thank you."

I wish I knew a girl like this... Still waiting. Amazing story that shows that love conquers all and that if you believe something, it can become real. You can overcome anything if you put your mind to it. I just wish that I met someone patient enough to see what I have to offer, someone that excites me and appreciates me as much as I can them, and if I ever meet this girl, I hope I will recognize her and have the courage to pursue her enough that she will open up and give me that one shot that I have been hoping for. It is one thing to have a beautiful mind, but I believe the best thing I have to offer is my heart.

A Stage for the Imagination

For once in a really long time, I have been able to start relaxing in my long busy summer. And go figure but when I find free time and my family is off doing a thousand things... I read. I have read three books so far this summer and each and every one of them has been fantastic. I have to recommend them! The first two were The Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. The Screwtape Letters presents a perspective on humanity through the communication between one man's guardian devil and that devil's experienced uncle, Screwtape. Yes, I said guardian devil. This short read presents the vices of the world and many of the reasons why we may forget who we are and this moment in eternity which we call life. Amazing book and an especially creative and unique viewpoint for sure.

Mere Christianity is equally interesting. I didn't know what to expect when I opened it up, I had heard of it before, and I was curious especially because of the title. What I found was that this book followed the logic and reasoning behind one man's journey from atheism to discovering the truths and doctrines within Christianity. This man being none other than C. S. Lewis himself. Fabulously written and it really opens a window to the mind of this amazingly persuasive writer.

The last book I read, I had actually heard before. Our family likes to travel and visit family and when I was younger we went on cross country drives-camping trips to the Mountain West from the East Coast. In any case, our family would read book series in the car or at night. After this long introduction, Gerald N. Lund's Kingdom and the Crown Series starts with the fantastic historical fiction novel, The Fishers of Men. This story introduces a few fictional families that lived during the time of Jesus Christ in the Galilee and in the Jerusalem area. It portrays a wide variety of characters their interactions and struggles as they hear and follow the ministry of the Savior. It brings to life the political, religious, and social strife of the time and for me was like reliving and watching these people find strength beyond their own as their hearts are changed while they come to know the Savior of the world.

Books are so much better than movies. I had almost forgotten the power of the imagination. In a film, you watch the emotion and drama and excitement unfold before your eyes. In a story, your mind opens up to all new possibilities. You create the look of the character, the way they walk, interact, move, but now you can even look inside them. You hear their thoughts, touch the feelings in their heart, and almost become a part of them, connecting to their conflicts with the ones that you yourself have experienced.


It enlightens and stretches your mind, opens you up to new ways of thinking, and as you fall in love with the characters good and bad, you find them in your own life and sometimes even within you. There really is nothing that is much better than a great book. It can become the stage for the wiles of your imagination.