Why You NEED To Go On Dates With Complete Strangers

This last Tuesday, I asked you all if you would be willing to date a complete stranger.

Surprisingly, everyone seemed to be down for it!

And so many intrepid adventurers went seeking for dates and digits.

The thing is, everyone listed some sort of condition before expressing a willingness to actually go on the date. Some people were concerned their date might be sketchy or a creeper (which is a somewhat nebulous concept). Some people wanted an exact itinerary. Some people wanted their stranger date to be attractive, and some people didn't care either way as long as they, themselves, were armed.

Tinder was also mentioned in the comments as a basic illustration of this concept in actual practice. Since I don't have a smart phone anymore, I don't use Tinder, but when I was using Tinder, I formulated a technique that incidentally incorporated nearly every one of the concerns listed in your comments.

Obviously, if we both swiped right and talked, we found each other attractive. When setting up the first date, I never offered to pick the girl up. This was because I didn't want to have to ask for her address, and therefore give off that worrisome creeper vibe. Instead, I picked activities that could be held in a neutral, public place, like the local university. I also planned the dates for earlier in the evening, while the sun was still out, which helped keep the fright of the night down.

But why go on these sorts of dates at all?

As some people alluded in the comments, dates with strangers can be fun. There's usually a bit more of a story to go along with it, and the journey into the unknown can be exhilarating. As for my personal experiences, I obviously haven't ended up seriously dating any complete stranger I've ever asked on a date, but I've found some of my greatest friends from among such dates.

So go on! Ask a complete stranger out this week! If they say no, it's not like you lost anything, but if they say yes, who knows what will happen from there?

This Week's Top Comments

Confessions: Ornery at All Times and in All Things

So I pulled up to the drive-thru at McDonald's. There was a car at the speaker, the caboose of a line leading past the payment and receiving windows. I pulled in behind this last car. Excellent, I thought. I won't have to wait long.

But then I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Finally, the car moved forward. I drove up to the speaker and placed my own order. The guy on the other end was super nice and helpful.

But then the line ahead remained stagnant.

So I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

I'd been sitting in the line for over ten minutes, and I still hadn't even moved past the first step.

"Man," I said out loud. "What is happening?"

I hadn't expected a response. It was a rhetorical question designed to allow me to vent my frustration in a calm, controlled manner.

"I'm sorry," a voice said. "We just got a big order."

I jumped so hard, I smacked my head on the ceiling of my car.

Turns out, McDonald's' speakers are always on, thus allowing the order-taking employees to hear all my outbursts of thought.

I felt terrible immediately. I knew I must have sounded like an impatient, selfish jerk. I apologized profusely over the speaker, and then did so again once I met the guy in person at the payment window.

My thoughts on the experience were pretty simple. I was willing to voice my impatience and frustration by myself, to myself. The thing was, if I had known someone was listening in, I wouldn't have.

D. L. Moody defined character as what you are in the dark. In essence, this means that you are most you when you are all by yourself, not trying to impress anyone, not trying to please anyone, just being you, yourself, and you again.

I realized that even though I don't consider myself to be a rude and impatient customer, maybe I would be if I only had to serve myself. I don't know. Either way, I am now determined to do a better job making sure things like long lines at fast food joints don't cause me to act in a way I wouldn't be proud of.

Will you take the same challenge?

Salt Lake Comic Con #FANX16 - My Experience Through Memes

This past weekend, I traveled with my employer, Future House Publishing, to the bi-annual Salt Lake City Comic Con, affectionately called 'Fan Xperience.'

I worked hard to ship books, carry books, sell books, and talk about books as much as I could, working with fellow employees and authors alike to promote our brand and pique interest in the amazing things we're doing over here.

Of course, I saw an opportunity to detail my experience (and all its idiosyncrasies) through the medium of memes. Once I came home, I prepared everything and threw them into this blog post.

Enjoy!

Party Crashers - Throwback Commentary #59

Hey there! This is a commentary about the post written on December 19, 2014. Click here to read the original post!

This was one of the funniest experiences of my life. Crashing an opposing University's event and getting free food out of it made for a memorable evening. Something about the clandestine nature of the activity made it remarkably entertaining, and I'm grateful I decided to go.

I've put some thought into the year-old challenge I left at the end of the original post. I realize that I might have missed experiences for moments easily forgotten, putting off opportunities similar to the one I found at the Brazilian restaurant. Maybe it's time to revisit the challenge again: don't miss an opportunity for something you can do later.

How did you respond to this challenge back in 2014? Tell me about your experiences, and I'll be waiting in the comments.

Hey there! This is a commentary about the post written on December 19, 2014. Click here to read the original post!

Cynicism vs. Idealism: Zoo Lights

John 12:36 - "While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light ..."

My pops, my older younger sister, my brother-in-law, and myself journeyed to Portland and the Oregon Zoo to see the beautiful Christmas lights abounding along the path.

The weather was cold and rainy. We were damp before we'd even walked a hundred yards from the car, but we were excited. Not only were we going to see a very unique display of Christmas lights, we were also going to be able to see animals! Animals! At night!

It soon became apparent that we weren't going to be seeing many animals. We saw some seals, some bats, and some penguins. The rest were all in hiding from the weather, or kept in a facility protecting them from the winter. No, the zoo had drawn us in just to see the lights. Nothing more, nothing less.

Given my nature, I wondered if the zoo was taking advantage of us. It made sense for the zoo to seek ways to draw in tourists. After all, what zoo-goer wants to walk around in winter? By setting up a bunch of pretty lights, the zookeepers hoped to make us forget we weren't seeing animals, and therefore deprive us of our hard-earned cash! The scoundrels!

So it was easy for me to forget the lights and imagine conniving businessmen lurking behind every corner. However, the further I went along, the less discontent I became. After all, the lights were beautiful. There were some displays that had obviously required much love to put up. The zookeepers may have gotten our money, but they were likely using it to feed the warm and cozy animals as they waited for Spring to return.

And honestly? I enjoyed it. This picture walk will never be able to capture the raw beauty of the lights. I tried to get a few shots of the wire animals, like the raccoon you see at the top of the post, but any pictures I took paled compared to what I saw in person. If you ever visit Oregon in the winter, come visit its zoo. You'll be amazed.

And most importantly, we four had fun. We laughed, we talked, we even danced a little. It was a perfect, idyllic night, and even if we didn't see animals, we had each other.

That was enough.

Daily Adventure: Red Rock Canyon Hike

Micah 7:12 - "In that day also he shall come even to thee from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain."

So after my friends and I chilled in the sun, we finally roused ourselves to go on a hike up red rock canyon.

The red rock part of the canyon.

The triumph and the moon.

Thankfully, only three rescue crews were required to get them out of there.

The canyon prepares to sleep as the sun turns out the lights.

Only four rescue crews were required to get them out of that one.

We didn't have cell phone service. We took a route up a cliff that was less difficult going up than would have been going down. We wandered around for a bit, trying to find sea level without dying. We laughed and ate a picnic lunch and just enjoyed being out in the rough.

I want to do stuff like that more often. I want to feel closer to my roots. I want to dig my fingers, toes, and soul into nature and breathe it in. I want to leave technology behind and find peace in the beauty God created for us.

I'm so grateful when I do.

A Cop Pulled Me Over!?!

Helaman 9:34 - "And then shall ye say: Because of this fear and this paleness which has come upon your face, behold, we know that thou art guilty."

My friends and I were driving to Vegas for the weekend.

"Man, you're going pretty fast," one of my friends said.

I scoffed. "I could go faster. Besides, we're making great time!"

"Aren't you worried about cops?"

I shook my head. "Naw, I'll be fine. Speeding laws are just to protect other drivers, and there's no one else on the road!"

Turns out, going sixteen over is not justified by empty roads.

Yeah, the ticket is a serious financial blow for me right now, but it wasn't all bad. The officer was very respectful and even kind, building my faith in local law enforcement. My friends thought it was hilarious, and the experience gave us much to laugh about. I learned I shouldn't push my luck by speeding, and I even got a blog post out of it.

Yeah, sometimes bad things happen to me. However, when I look at things from the right angle with the right attitude, I turn annoyances and inconveniences into beauty in my eye.

I know anyone can do the same.

I GOT A FACIAL!!

Romans 5:4 - "And patience, experience; and experience, hope ..."

A few weeks ago, select members of my family were visiting my sister and in-law's house. My sister decided we should all get homegrown facials.

I didn't want to get a facial, but I figured I could at least tell people one day that, yes, I did have that sort of experience. Now go away.

So I put some sort of foreign stinging cream on my face and waited for it to harden. Then, after I couldn't take it anymore, I grabbed an edge and peeled it off.

It was just bizarre, I will forever have a hard time describing what that felt like.

So, what did I learn?

First, I learned I don't really mind facials, but I'd rather not have another one anytime soon.

Second, I learned that now I can at least tell people that I had one, which will prompt much conversation and mirth.

Third, I learned that you really can't know what something's like until you try it.

So, for all of you plebeians wondering what a facial is really like, I highly recommend you at least give it a shot. I can't really tell you what it's like otherwise.

I Got a Haircut!

3 Nephi 4:33 - "And their hearts were swollen with joy, unto the gushing out of many tears, because of the great goodness of God ..."

Once upon a time, I was getting shaggy. I mentioned this to my friends.

"Oh!" one said. "I want to cut your hair!"

"Cool," I said. "That will save me five bucks. Have you ever cut hair before?"

"No." 

"Do you have a kit?"

"No."

I thought about that. 

The 4 for $4 deal at Wendy's called to me.

"All right, let's do this!" I said.

Obligatory before picture.

Obligatory after picture.

So we found a kit, and she got to work. The end result actually turned out pretty well!

I learned several things from the experience. For one thing, there's nothing like a potential total disaster to bring people closer together. We Core Four were all nervous about how things were going to turn out, especially our budding hairdresser herself. The relief that followed our combined anxiety has allowed us to have a rollicking time remembering the experience in the weeks that have followed.

For another thing, I had a blast putting my head into somebody else's hands and waiting to see what happened next. There was something liberating about removing my responsibility for the near future, and I imagine those same feelings could be replicated by doing other things as well. After all, the world is big. I've never tried things like sky falling or BASE jumping or mountain climbing or scuba diving. Why not let an expert show me the ropes?

I think the main point is, we humans are programmed to find risky situations exciting. I found something as simple as getting a haircut from a novice thrilling. Imagine how thrilling life could be if we stepped out of our comfort zone more often.

And you don't even have to do something big to do that.

I Did Not Make Out on Squaw Peak

Psalms 23:4 - "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death ..."

As is common among many people, I got into a funk a bit ago. So, in order to combat this feeling, I took a drive up the canyon.

Now, I'd heard of 'Squaw Peak' before. I'd heard what people had said about this particular overlook, that students and lovers usually went to Squaw Peak chiefly to make out. I'd heard enough about this place to make the decision never to take a girl there because then she'd think she knew what was coming.

But, I'd never been there myself. I didn't even know where it was.

This time, I drove up the canyon and spotted the sign marking the dusty old road leading up to this local legend. I figured I'd see what the fuss was all about and turned off the main road.

The drive up to the overlook was twisted, windy, and long. I drove for nearly half an hour, just waiting, expecting the next curve to reveal my final destination, but it was long in coming. On and on and on I drove, just enjoying the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the air and the silence of a trundling car engine in the middle of nature.

And then, finally, I made it.

And I didn't understand.

Why would anyone want to make out up here?

The view was spectacular. It stretched for miles and miles. I could see landmarks I recognized, roads I often traveled, places I didn't even know existed. I sat on the edge and just stared off into the distance, trying to piece together how small I really was, how insignificant my life was compared to the teeming valley that seemed but a hand away. 

I was awestruck.

I couldn't believe I'd never been here before.

I eventually tore myself away and trundled back down the mountain, just thinking. I wondered how many couples had missed the sight in favor of a few minutes of pleasure. I wondered how many sights I'd missed as I wandered down in the valley below, only able to see right in front of me. How many things had I missed on the other sides of walls, of trees, of my own problems?

I didn't know.

But I decided I wanted to keep my head up more often.

And that was enough.

Daily Adventure: Tim Tam Slam (Video)

Ephesians 5:2 - "And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour."

Once upon a time, I had a friend who offered to feed me for dinner.

"It was last Sunday," he said.

True! But, technically, that was still a time. That was onced upon.

"That doesn't really make any ..."

Fine! I'll be normal about it!

Last Sunday, I went over to my friends' house for dinner. Whereas I served a mission in Jamaica, he served a mission in Malaysia, and he actually learned how to cook their food! (I still wish I'd learned how to make Jamaican curry. Mmmmm ... curry.) 

As it was, the meal was Malaysian ... well, mostly. The vegetables apparently weren't, and a few minor details were altered, but I didn't know the difference, and I thought it was absolutely delicious either way, so hey! 

The chef at his handsomest.

I also had the opportunity to participate in an old Malaysian mission tradition - the legendary Tim Tam slam.

To keep it simple, a Tim Tam is like a chocolate-coated wafer. A slam occurs when you suck incredibly hot chocolate through the wafer like a straw. The wafer quickly becomes soggy, so the game is to tilt your head back right before it disintegrates and swallow. If you fail ... well, shame for life, man.

Thankfully, my chef friend took a video of my attempt at this.

So ... shame for life, man.

Either way, the opportunity to experience at least a glimpse of another culture and have a fun failure was an experience I won't forget. I am always grateful when someone gives me the chance to do something like hat, and I can't wait until the next chance.

What cool new thing will you experience this week?

Appreciation: Spiders, Mosquitoes, and Beetles

Genesis 1:26 - "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion ... over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."

Don't forget to add your voice to Tuesday's thinkjoust! The poll is located just to the top of the column on the right-hand side!

I'll be honest with you; this beetle has absolutely nothing to do with the post. This particular insect was just more visually appealing than the other subjects we will be discussing presently.

Several of my comrades have returned from their forays into the basements of my workplace complaining of a most insidious group of marauders - the deadly spiders.

Of course, from what I can gather, most people only dislike spiders because of the way they move. Something about the way those eight little legs churn give people the willies. I've also heard that a lot of people are scared of being bitten by a poisonous spider. That's a genuine fear--I've seen horrible pictures of the effects some spider venom has on human flesh--but it's rather racist to assume every spider you run into is poisonous. Look up the poisonous spiders in your area so you can identify them. Odds are, 95% of the spiders you run into are completely harmless, right?

Right?

No? You still want to assume all spiders are poisonous? All right, I'l try a different tack.

The common house spider is one of the least proactive predators on the planet. Seriously. It weaves a web and waits for something to fly into it. Yes, I'm aware some spiders are more hunters than fishers, but let's be honest here; the spiders we're familiar with are probably all web weavers.

The cool thing about these web weavers is that they straight-up protect us from far more aggressive insects. Take the mosquito, for instance. Not only can those little blood-suckers fly, they are able to maintain a near-invisibility when their nighttime hunting begins. They leave bites all over your body, which itch like the dickens, and you can be sure they didn't sterilize their proboscis after biting your friend and then coming after you.

Spiders eat these things. By the dozens. Spiders are useful. Spiders are our friends.

These arguments fell on deaf ears. An exterminator was called to eradicate the spider population in the basements. Though I never saw the sight, hundreds upon hundreds of our mosquito-eating friends lay prone on the floor, their legs pointing toward heaven.

I kid you not, literally a day after the extermination, I heard people complain about mosquito bites for the first time all summer.

I truly do believe God puts everything here on earth for a reason. "Why did he put spiders on the earth, then," someone might ask. I would respond that the spiders are here to protect us from mosquitoes. "Why did God put mosquitoes on the earth, then?"

So we can appreciate spiders all the more.

You, too, have a purpose here on earth. There are so many things you do, every day, that someone notices and admires. No matter how insignificant or disregarded you may feel, your contribution means something. It has worth. Don't be afraid to let your light so shine.

Daily Adventure: Beer Hat

Mark 16:15 "... Go ye into all the world ..."

A little while ago, I abruptly decided I needed a beer hat. For sodas, you see. Why should beer get all the fun, amiright?

Upon taking on the role and responsibilities of the beer hat's caretaker, I set about to give it a nice little test run. Choosing the sprite, I popped 'em and inserted the cans into their holding places.

I quickly learned that necks are not generally accustomed to supporting full soda cans, plus however much the hat weighs. In addition, the liquid dribbling down my shoulders taught me that keeping my back perfectly straight would require constant vigilance. In the end, I concluded the convenience of hands-free drinking was far smaller than simply reaching out and lifting to my lips every once in a while.

Yet, I had fun! It was a wonderful experiment, and now I know what to expect for the next time I'm tempted to buy ridiculous headgear.

That simple decision to buy a stupid hat offered a me new and fresh experience. And that was just a small moment. There are so many wonderful things out there in this world of ours, new opportunities I know I miss every day. I, for one, am trying to do a better job just experiencing all that is available.

What brave new step will YOU take?

Why not carpe diem?

Adventure: Donut Dogs (VIDEO)

Moroni 10:19 - "... all these gifts of which I have spoken, which are spiritual, never will be done away, even as long as the world shall stand..."

Well well well. What do we have here?

What is on these donuts?

Oh. That's what.

Life is an adventure, my friends, and there are a lot of things out there in the world that nobody has ever discovered. On the flip side, there are a lot of things out there that you've never discovered, be they things other people discovered before you or things nobody before you will ever discover.

If you're not much for my usual 'get out there and try something new' spiel, then here's today's challenge: stay inside and try something new! You could keep it culinary, or you could even go so far as to try watching a movie you wouldn't normally think you'd like. Anything and everything! The world is your oyster! LOVE IT!

Yum.

Finding Ways to Relax: Fancy Dinner Dance

Ecclesiastes 3:4 - "... a time to laugh ... and a time to dance ..."

Vintage style, yo!

This past week, I was asked by one of my friends if I wanted to go up to a fancy dinner dance with her and a couple of friends. "It's a black tie affair," she said.

I protested. "But I don't own a black tie!"

Regardless, I was easily convinced, and, after finding myself all dressed up with someplace to go on a Friday afternoon, I drove over to the third member of our party's house and picked her up (obviously, I considered myself the fourth member of the party).

It was a several-hour trip up to the hidden ancient dancing grounds. The plan was for the two of us riding in my car to meet my friend and her date halfway there, and then carpool the rest of the way there. Even though I'd never before met my copilot, we felt comfortable and relaxed as our conversation meandered, along with the car, down the highway. This comfortable feeling continued as we joined the others and finished the trek up.

Live music and senior citizens were the major attractions at the dinner dance. Given that we were, as far as I could tell, the youngest group in the room, it was easy to feel a little intimidated by the obviously love-struck couples as they expertly danced to Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud. However, despite our inability to dance like pros, we nonetheless made the most of it, coming up with the best dance moves anyone's ever seen on this side of the Mississippi. I mean, that wave-heart-jump move! STUNNING.

The ride home was, again, comfortable, and even though my copilot and now new-found friend was incredibly tired and had work the next day, she graciously stayed up to keep me company on the last leg home.

It was an excellent evening altogether, particularly so in my mind because of how relaxing it was. With the stress of school and work and other socialities constantly stomping down on my mind, it was nice to just go into something, even a new and foreign experience, with no expectations and no worries. Looking back, it's been a while since I've done anything with that sort of attitude. Rather, I seem to have slipped back into the mentality of doing things because I have to, not because I necessarily want to. It made me ponder how easy it is to just lose myself in the intricacies of life and never give time for myself.

My challenge to you all today is to find something that relaxes you. Set everything in your schedule aside, including what other people expect of you (like professors and their homework), what you expect of yourself (like writing a blog post), and put it on hold for a while, even just for an hour or so. Nothing helped prepare me for the upcoming week more than just going out and having good old-fashioned fun, and I know that, whatever you're facing, you'll experience the same kind of feelings I did.

So go on! Get out there! What are you doing still reading?

Hey!

HEY!

Stop reading!

Seriously, it's like you never listen.

Experiencing All: Party Crashers [with Added Commentary]

Genesis 30:27 - "... for I have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake."

So I'm sitting in my room late Wednesday night, trying to give a care about my upcoming finals, with nary a shower or a change of clothes earlier in the day to get me going, when I heard a knock at my door. Oh great, I thought. Someone locked themselves out of their room. Again. Dragging my gym shorts off my couch and running a finger through my gnarled porcupine hair, I approached the door and cracked it open.

To my surprise, I wasn't greeted by a resident, but by one of my RAs. His opening statement was a bit more complicated, but the story boiled down to this.

"So, my uncle gave me tickets to a free dinner at a Brazilian restaurant hosted by UVU parking. I don't have a car, but you do, so wanna crash it?"

Well, duh.

So I actually showered and changed and jumped in a car and got lost on the way to this Brazilian restaurant. When we arrived, our entire plan boiled down to finding the event, sitting down, and hoping nobody asked any probing questions. After all, my friend's uncle was expected at the event, and seeing how we were from a rival school, any investigation might result in us being exposed for frauds. It was all very exciting.

So we found out where the event was and sat down in some empty seats, squashed between other empty seats. The food was bank, man, and the fact that we were getting it ... for free ... because some UVU executive was paying for this fantabulous feast when we totally didn't deserve it. I pay parking tickets, not give them.

Thankfully, we were lucky in that there were actually several factions represented at the event, so most everyone thought we belonged to a different group than the one they were associated with. Unfortunately, we couldn't avoid the moment forever. An older couple asked us what it was like, working parking. It was time.

We hadn't discussed an alias or plan prior to the event in case we did get asked such a question. I'd formulated one of my own, perfectly designed to throw my friend under the bus. "I'm with him." Of course, I never had the chance to use it, because my friend answered for us. "Oh, my uncle gave us his tickets."

Huh. Never thought about honesty.

The old couple was surprised. They nodded. They never said another word to us.

It was awesome.

Point is, besides the hilarious experience, imagine where I would have been had I rejected such an opportunity. Probably sitting on the couch, staring at the ceiling, wondering how the Glorious Revolution fits in regards to Marcus and what New Testament epistle he appeared in. True, studying would have been the best priority, but I gained a memory, something I won't be quick to forget. 

My challenge to you today is to not put experiences before something that can be put off for later. True, at some point, I had to buckle down and take the exam, but my two hour excursion didn't hurt that. This season often has us focus a lot more on its preparations than for what it is actually intended, namely, spending time with friends and family and spreading and feeling love. So go out there! Crash a party! Above all, have fun. 

Hey there! I wrote a commentary about this post on February 25, 2016. Click here to read it!

Don't Forget to Study: What I did on Saturday

2 Nephi 32:3 - "... feast upon the words of Christ ..."

This is a long block of prose!

I'll be honest, some days, I just don't have a relevant picture. This is probably obvious to you some posts, like when I start craning my neck to somehow tie the daily picture I took with the lesson I learned in the day. As it was, I figured that, at least for today, I would admit I'm at least aware when I'm doing this, and not hide the fact that the following picture has nothing to do with my thoughts. Enjoy!

Well, I just had a weird day in general yesterday. Falling asleep at 4:30am the night before was an idea that could have had disastrous consequences, especially considering I had volunteered to fill in for the DM for my DND group at 9:00am. I woke up at 8:10am, got showered, and arrived just in time to send my teammates on a battle against Scar and his hyena troop.

After that enjoyable adventure, I somehow managed to throw up a blog post and accomplish my daily goal for digitizing my journal before one of my residents knocked on my door and asked to talk. This was the same resident I'd taken to the ER a few nights prior, and he proudly showed me the tubes sticking out of his chest and just talked about everything that had happened after he called me to tell me he was heading into surgery. Poor guy obviously just wanted to talk, but right around the same time he showed up, I started hitting a wall, and about fell asleep on him right in the middle of our conversation.

I set an alarm for about two hours later than it was, hit the snooze button three times, and then just turned the whole thing off. I was out about four hours when my best bro called and asked if he could come hang out at my place. I mumbled something about being asleep, to which he called my bluff and showed up anyway. He roused me out of bed, which was good, considering I still had homework and sleep to accomplish later in the night, and we walked around campus and talked about life for a bit. We eventually parted ways, and I headed back to the dorm to write in my novel, read for my English class, and write a paper.

I was getting tired again, but I wanted to squeeze in an episode of MLP:FIM before midnight, so I threw Netflix on. Unfortunately, the internet was awful, so between buffers, I resumed my reading of the third book in the Maze Runner series. By the time the episode ended, my kindle told me I had about an hour left in the book. I had once again been sucked in by the plot, and so remained reading until just before 1:00am. I had a temple rededication to go to at 9:00am, so I prepared for bed.

Then, I remembered.

I had forgotten.

I was tired and ready to sleep, but I sure as heaven wasn't going to bed until I read my scriptures.

Lights back on, back to the couch, flip on my Gospel Library App, and I read a chapter out of the Book of Mormon and a chapter out of the New Testament. It was a shorter study session than I usually have, but I felt the Spirit, and it was enough.

When I was on my mission, my companions and I would ask our investigators or less-actives or recent converts to read a chapter or two out of the scriptures before we came back a few days later for our return appointment. Probably about 90% of the time, when we came back, they would tell us they 'didn't have time' in the interim.

My reminder for the day is: Make the time! It doesn't matter how tired you are, it doesn't matter what else you've done in the day, you will be strengthened and blessed when you read, study, and ponder God's word. I haven't missed a day since I've come back, though I've had close days like yesterday when I'm about to pass out and I'm reminded, 'Go.' I promise you, your life will seem that much more bright.

Of Ink and Steel

1 John 4:9 - "In this was manifested the love of God toward us ..."

Yesterday was all about literature.
Indeed, I seem to be thriving in a sort of natural habitat for myself. I have gotten it all worked out that I can be doing something with words in some form in just about every second of the day. A quick rundown of what I did yesterday:
1.) Woke up and turned on Alcatraz and the Evil Librarians audio book. Exercised throughout.
2.) Read my scriptures during breakfast.
3.) Turned audio book back on for drive to work.
4.) Resumed reading Interesting Times ebook as I walk into office and wait for computer to boot up.
5.) Begin writing a series of three to five articles for internal and external audiences.

6.) Reward myself for a job well done between articles by reading a few paragraph blocks in ebook.
7.) Listen to ebook on way to meeting and back home again.
8.) Write blog post.
9.) Start typing up my personal daily quota of eight pages out of my mission journal.
10.) Sit down with Pops to watch The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey for the first time.
11.) Bachelor scripture study following the rollicking adventure.
12.) Finish typing journal quota.
13.) Touch novel a little bit. Review some notes for a particularly difficult upcoming scene.
14.) Play audio book while preparing for bed.

In thinking about it, I realize just how blessed I am to be living here, at this time, with the ability to push my work forward immediately, to be able to enjoy literature while doing other things, and, most importantly, to be able to really enjoy it. I have met so many miserable people who don't grasp just how awesome this time is! And, the thing is, it's not just me. God is allowing so many marvelous inventions in the world, that soon, I'm sure everyone will be able to do what they love, even playing football, even while driving to work. And that would just be groovy.