What's YOUR Love Language? - Thinkjoust Tuesday #58

I made an active decision last year to not write this sort of thinkjoust. After all, everyone talks about this stuff, right?

Then I remembered that the world doesn't revolve around me or my group of friends. "Huh," I thought. "Maybe other people will appreciate this sort of post!" So here it is.

Love languages are the ways individuals with different personalities express their appreciation for the people around them. Not everyone offers or responds to acts of love in the same way, and sometimes, this can cause friction and tension between two individuals who otherwise love each other very much.

Just as an example, I had a friend who loved to do things for me. He'd make my bed, make me breakfast, and even do my dishes. Rather than be thankful for his acts of service, I felt somewhat irritated. After all, he was giving his time and effort on things I could do for myself, and I felt extremely lazy and unproductive around him. I told him I was feeling guilty, and he just laughed me off.

At the same time, he felt unappreciated by me because I wasn't expressing love in the ways he did. I wasn't about to do his dishes, but I loved to hug him and offer him compliments.

The thing was, neither of us really felt appreciated by the other person because we were expressing love in ways that the other person didn't respond to well. The thing was, we were both expressing love, and that is the most important part.

Once we learn how other people express love, we can learn to respond to them in kind. For example, once my friend and I realized we were just having a love language disconnect, we worked at serving/complimenting each other, respectively (he still wasn't super into hugs, but I give them out like candy, so it balanced out).

Anyway, the point is, if you don't know your love languages, why not find them out?

I recommend this link here, which takes you to a test that analyzes your love language profile. Give it a shot, and then post your results in the comments! I'll be sure to be back this Saturday to talk about your results and what it means for the future of Change and Cherish.

See you then!

How to Connect to Strangers - Thursday Thought #7

While I was working one of my evening shifts, one of the university police officers dropped by the desk to take care of some things. Before I knew it, we'd fallen into a deep and revealing conversation about each other.

We got to know about each other's families. We compared notes regarding the various books we're writing. We chatted about our personal dreams and goals in life. We offered advice according to our confidence in various topics. We spoke about the gospel and its effect on our lives. We got to know each other as people, as individuals, as we exposed ourselves through our thoughts and comments.

It was awesome.

When I first started talking with the officer, we were basically strangers. Oh, we'd seen each other around campus a couple of times, and I'd even had a few conversations with him, but this was the first time I really learned who he was.

This experience got me thinking. The only time in my life when I regularly interacted with strangers on a regular basis was on my two year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Even then, I wasn't necessarily trying to learn everything about these strangers. I had an overt motive to share my message with them, and while that was a good thing, my first few minutes of conversation would be spent looking for specific common ground, as opposed to merely enjoying what came my way from them.

Upon this realization, I decided I needed to start reaching out to people more. I may not be able to have an in-depth conversation with a stranger every day, but when I do meet a stranger, I can at least try to learn something about them, and not just where they're from or what their major is, either. 

Whether it's their dream residence, or why they chose their major, or even what their favorite color is, I need to remember that strangers have a lot to share. So why not ask them?

And just so you know, Officer Wayne Beck truly is just an awesome guy. Don't believe me? Check out what he's doing at his website, which is entirely appropriately named, "Every Encounter Builds Perspective." Thanks, Wayne!

Should You Tell Strangers They're Beautiful? - Thinkjoust Tuesday #49

This video went viral for a while back in 2015. Ever since then, I've been thinking about how this sort of exercise would work in an open setting.

For example, I remember when I was first entering the missionary training center. As my Dad drove me up to the cul-de-sac to drop me off, a group of missionaries heading off to exercise in the field passed by my open window. "Welcome!" some of them called.

"YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL!" one bellowed.

The compliment surprised me, but I was so relieved by the random compliment, I was better able to shoulder the conflicting emotions I was feeling, as well as better hold back any threatening tears looming to escape the jail of my ducts.

I've heard other stories of individuals being told that they're beautiful by random strangers, and how touched and excited they were thanks to this encounter. Even though telling strangers they're beautiful seems to grind against American social structures, I don't think anyone would be entirely against having this experience.

At the same time, I can imagine certain circumstances in which people might be put off by this sort of complimenting. What if the complimenter is much older than the complimentee, but not old enough? What if the complimenter just looks creepy, or gives off creepy vibes? What if the complimentee just doesn't find the complimenter beautiful back? What if the delivery comes across as forced or awkward? What if the complimentee just feels like they're being hit on? What if the complimenter uses the exchange to hit on the complimentee?

As you can see, this can go a lot of different directions. Complimenting random strangers may not always be appropriate.

So here's the thinkjoust. Is this activity ever appropriate? And if so, then when? Comment below or on the usual social media platforms, and you may just be featured!

I look forward to hearing what you all have to say.

Thinking Differently is NOT Thinking Wrong

Our new Change and Cherish mascots make their official debut in this final scheduled Friday post! I'm calling them 'The Light-bulb People' for now. They're supposed to represent the concept of thought, inspired by the cartoons which often portray light-bulbs over the heads of characters after they have an idea.

As you can see above, today's two light-bulbs emit different-colored lights. This demonstrates that some people think differently than yourself. Yes, you, faithful reader. And, of course, I'm here to say that that doesn't make them wrong.

As I discussed in the 16 Personalities post, everyone has a different personality, and because of this, everyone has a different filter through which they view the world. For example, one person may be opposed to drinking caffeine, but another person may absolutely love to drink it. One of the most all-time popular Change and Cherish Blog posts revolves around tattoos. I mention in the post that Mormons don't generally get tattoos, but I don't think I'd get a tattoo even if I wasn't Mormon. I don't even like people writing on me, so a tattoo on my own flesh would drive me nuts. However, that doesn't mean I think every person who has tattoos are crazy or idiotic. And I shouldn't either way.

The same goes for philosophies, politics, and even religious beliefs. Too often we find people on different sides of a debate, unwilling to consider or seek compromises. I, myself, have been guilty of assuming a strong stance against something or other and refusing to see an issue from the other side. When we think about things like gun control, the best solution for all parties can rarely be found among extremist sides.

Even social interactions can be viewed through different lenses. Just because you like to go around and party and be surrounded by people, doesn't mean your introverted friends can't thrive doing something by themselves. They aren't wrong for liking their alone time.

I only bring this up because I believe many people often think to themselves, mostly unconsciously, "If you think or act differently than me, then you're wrong." Even worse, people sometimes go so far as to assume someone 'different' is automatically an antagonist to their beliefs and lifestyle. As an example, just because I'm a Mormon, doesn't mean I despise all other religions. Just because I'm a man, doesn't mean I despise feminists. Just because I'm a millennial, doesn't mean I like Bernie Sanders.

If I am careful to consider the fact that nobody has to be wrong, then I often find more peace and kindness in my daily life. 

I hope that everyone finds the same.

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!

Rejecting is as Difficult as Being Rejected

That's right, folks, it's another post about dating by the guy who barely knows anything about dating!

But maybe I can't say that anymore. I actually started dating someone a week ago (and she is amazing, by the way).

Either way, before we made it official, we found ourselves in a state called 'mutual attraction.' Not only did I like her, she liked me, which both confused and delighted us. I'm not sure why she found it so strange that I liked her, though; she's way out of my league. ;)

The reason I bring this up is because mutual attractions seem rare to me. After all, if you remember from this year's current post of pride, I've been on a lot of dates. I've liked girls who weren't interested in me, and girls have liked me when I wasn't interested in them. It happens.

The thing is, society often focuses on how hard it is to be rejected. You see movies and TV shows where our hapless Heroine sits crying in her bedroom, wishing Johnny Beautiful hadn't chosen Clara Perfect over her. We've seen our hapless Hero get in car chases, break through airport security, and get arrested trying to win their woman's love back. If we know anything from popular fiction, getting rejected hurts.

So how can rejecting someone else hurt?

You may call me a Rousseauist, but I believe most people are inherently good. When it comes to dating, I imagine people don't really want to hurt each others' feelings. And if someone really likes you, it's hard to tell them, "I'm sorry, but no."

After all, if someone has invested a lot of thought and time and money and emotion into you, you know they're going to be hurt by your rejection. Because of this, you often find reluctant individuals who go on dates with the same person over and over again. They do this because they're just trying to develop a interest.

I might call up one of my friends. "What's up?"

"I got another date with JimBob tonight," she says.

"JimBob? But you don't even like the guy!"

"I know. He's just so sweet, and so nice, and I think he's really cool and cute. If I were interested in him, then I'd be so lucky to date him. I keep trying to change my mind."

And that's the other thing. Sometimes, you meet someone so amazing, so astounding, but you just don't feel that all-encompassing attraction. You want to be attracted to this person, but you just can't convince yourself that you are.

In that case, turning away from such a great potential romantic partner can seem like a big mistake. Not only is your rejection liable to hurt the other person's feeling, but you're also passing up on what seems like a perfectly good opportunity. So when it finally comes time to tell the person you don't see a romance developing between you two, it can hurt you just as much as it hurts them. And consider this. Now you have to go back to being single with little to no prospects. Guh.

There are ways to lessen your own personal pain if you have to be the one saying, "No."

If you're the object of affection, you can be blunt and tell the person you're not interested as soon as possible. A less direct method (which I don't approve of, but have seen used several times) is ignoring or offending the interested person. thus demonstrating that you weren't ever worth it as a crush, anyway.

But what other methods exist? Be sure to leave a comment below!

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!

Daya & HIDE AWAY: Why Guys Should Stop Complaining About Paying for Dates

Every time I have started driving in the past two weeks, I have heard Adele's Hello.

This is not a hyperbole.

LITERALLY, WHENEVER I get into my CAR, my RADIO asks HOW I AM, WHERE I'VE BEEN, and IF I MADE IT OUT OF TOWN.

This is notable because I don't do a lot of driving. I commute back and forth to work, I buy groceries, and I might even visit a friend. I'm in the car anywhere from three to nine minutes, tops.

I may turn on the radio during the back end of Hello. I may catch the middle of Hello. More often, Hello starts the second I turn the key.

I AM SICK OF HELLO.

But I'm not here to talk about Hello. I'm here to talk about Daya's Hide Away.

I like the musicality of Hide Away, even if I don't like the question the lyrics pose. Good boys go to hide away in Provo, obviously. I mean, look at me! I'm right here!

I recently heard Hide Away on the radio, right after I ground my teeth through another rendition of Adele's Hello. I was already familiar with Hide Away, but this time, I noticed something in the lyrics I never had before. The important lyrics come right before the first bridge and chorus.

"... Girls seem to like the boys who don't appreciate
all the money and time that it takes
to be fly as a mother ..."

If you listen to the song, you'll realize Daya's point is that good boys will appreciate all the money and time it takes to be fly as a mother.

POW! As I heard those lyrics, I found the answer to a question I've pondered over my entire dating career.

WHY DOES SOCIETY DICTATE THAT GUYS HAVE TO PLAN/PAY FOR DATES?

Thanks to Daya, the answer is obvious.

Girls spend lots of money going out and shopping for clothes and makeup and shoes.

Guys might drop some cash on deodorant and hair products. Maybe.

Girls spend lots of time primping and preening and making sure they look their very best.

Guys might not even change their shirt before a date. When it comes to planning dates, their attempts are often laughable.

Let's use my last date as a case in point. My very pretty date met me at her door. "So what are we doing tonight?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I figured we'd wing it."

Summary

1.) Girls spend money on make-up, clothing, and shoes. (And I appreciate this!)
2.) Guys spend money on meals and activities.
3.) Girls spend their time sprucing up for their date. (And I appreciate this!)
4.) Guys spend their time 'planning' the date.

I have participated in conversations where dudes complain about the injustice our society has imposed on us. "We always have to pay for every date!" we grumble. "What's up with that?"

Well, now I know why. And so should every guy.

So girls, share this if you think the men in your life should be thanking you for the effort you make! And guys, share this if you'll stand with me and stop complaining about paying for dates!

And Daya, thank you for helping me see where I can improve at becoming a 'good boy.' :)

Tolerance: Catholic Mass

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We're nick-named Mormons for brevity.

For two years of my life, I lived in Arizona and Jamaica, teaching people about my beliefs and inviting them to come to my church to learn more. I would even occasionally go to other people's churches to see how they worshiped.

When my brother-in-law invited me to go with him to a Catholic mass on Christmas Eve, I jumped at the chance.

Now, based on my experiences, Catholicism is a pretty maligned religion. Despite the age of the feud between protestants and Catholics, I've found that many protestants have a hard time letting go of the prejudice they feel against Catholicism. I've heard many individuals criticize Catholics and their faith. I've even heard people claim that Catholics aren't Christian at all.

Well, that last one is just ridiculous. One look at the Stations of the Cross convinced me to their Christianity.

And you know, I'll be honest. I don't subscribe to every tenet of the Catholic faith. I don't believe everything they teach. But by golly, Catholics are good people. As I sat in their worship service, I felt their love and devotion for the Savior. I felt their happiness and joy. I felt their sincerity.

I propose that all hatred and judgement could be eliminated from the world if we, as a human race, sought to understand points of view other than our own.

How often do you criticize a group of people before seeing how they conduct themselves?

How to Spend Your Time

Ecclesiastes 3:6 - "A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away ..."

On Monday, I described what happened when we drove to Vegas.

The wedding and reception were on Friday, but we stayed all the way through to Sunday afternoon. Though finding things to do in Vegas isn't hard, getting up and actually doing them was a different story.

"Shall we hit the strip?"

"Enh."

"Shall we go on a hike?"

"Unh."

"Shall we go visit the temple grounds?"

"Nernh."

"Shall we sing songs of sixpence?"

"...What?"

Nobody ever likes my suggestions.

In the end, I didn't feel like we had to do anything spectacular or interesting. A large reason we went on the trip in the first place was simply so we could have a last hurrah before we all started graduating, one by one. Doing things wasn't important, it was the time spent together.

My challenge to you all today is to find time to spend with your loved ones. Don't feel pressured to find something to do, just enjoy each other's company. I promise it will be worth it.

Teamwork: eSport Tournament

1 Peter 2:17 - "Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the King."

A new video game just came out recently, and in order to raise awareness for the game, the company decided to run a team-based tournament exclusively for college students. The reward for winning said tournament would be three years of college tuition absolutely free. One of my fellow RAs, who got into the original Beta for the game, invited me to join his team, and I accepted.

Our standing in the tournament is a little shaky at the moment, it's true, but we're confident we haven't completely blown our chance yet. As it is, as we've worked together to hone our skills, I've recognized some very important things about, you guessed it, teamwork.

I still find it funny nobody has ever called me out on a title drop yet, but hey.

We all have really good ideas about how to accomplish important objectives, but sometimes, we don't all work toward the same objective at the same time. As it is, our individual strengths are fifthed as we separate and, usually, end up failing all the objectives we originally set out to accomplish. Our strengths as individuals really shine when we move through the objectives as a collective unit, working together to find solid success.

I never thought I'd say this, but as in video games, as in life. Each of us are capable of standing on our own, but the Lord has given us weaknesses along with our strengths. When we find others with complementary strengths, we are able to accomplish more than when we stand alone.

And that, my friends, is why people are awesome.

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.

Releasing Stress: Wal-Mart Run-Through (3 Videos)

Dealing with Stress and Discouragement - Ensign, February 1990

So, last night, me and two of my bros went out on the town to just look for something to do. With no plans or aspirations, we eventually decided to go wander around the local Wal-Mart for a few hours. Upon happening upon the toy section, we discovered some ridiculous things never available to us in our childhoods. Sorry for the poor quality, but here's the series we 'filmed' ...

Part 1 of 3: The Hulk Toy

Part 2 of  3: Artillery for Children

Part 3 of 3: New Pets

The bicycle helmets of the future. Too bad my mission president never let me wear something like these.

We didn't really spend any money, but we had a blast regardless. The stresses and impact of the previous week were forgotten in our reverie, and I can't say any of us regretted the so-called 'waste of time.'

I, of course, needed to wake up at 7:00am this morning, but our machinations lasted so late, I ended up sleeping in until 9:00am. The thing was, I didn't mind. Sure, I have a lot of homework and other stuff to take care of today and Monday, now, but I would never say that what we did last night wasn't just as important in maintaining my health and good will. That, of course, is enough for me.

What fun activities do you like to do to relieve stress? Be sure to comment below!

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!

There's Always A Reason

1 Nephi 4:6 - "And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do."

My best bro was going on a date tonight, and, as part of the fun, decided to take her to his ward's bonfire after they saw a movie in the theatre. He wanted me to try and double with him, but after that didn't work out, he suggested I just join them for the bonfire.

I wasn't sure exactly why he wanted me to become a third wheel during his date, but because he's my bro, I knew he had noble reasons, though I assumed my primary role was to use my natural charm and goofiness to diffuse any potential tension or awkwardity (awkwardness? awkwardology?) that may have risen between them between the movie and picking me up. Thankfully for them, after they picked me up and drove me up to the canyon, they were still hitting it off fine, so the role I had envisioned for myself proved useless.

So there I was, sitting up in the mountains with a group of people I didn't know talking about things I didn't care about with faces I couldn't really see in the darkness. My first inclination was to conclude that my time would have been far better spent back at the dorms, where an exam and creative projects waited.

No! I thought. I have my smart phone! I pulled up QuickOffice and began to type up a new chapter of my novel. The mood and atmosphere of the campsite aided my description of one of my characters' paganistic religions, making the final product that much more real for me. When my fingers froze to the point of minimal usage, I decided to silently slip away from the group into the darkness, rubbing my digits in my armpits, to give myself some time to think.

The sky was clear, and the stars were out, giving me a clear view of the cosmos stretching above me. As I craned my neck upward, I felt so compelled to offer up a prayer, and so did, speaking with my Father for some time before silently drawing back to the edge of the fire. None had noticed my absence.

As we three piled back into the car, I pointed out that I'd accomplished my primary purpose--being there for my bro--as well as a secondary and tertiary purpose I hadn't been aware of before making the journey. The conclusion I made is that, no matter where we are, no matter where I'm going, the Lord knows where he needs us. When I'm in a situation I'm not super thrilled about, I need to make an effort to try and see the hidden reasons why I'm there. And when I do that, then my life will be that much more full.

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.

Like a Fire is Burning

2 Nephi 9:51 - "Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy."

Even though I thought I had it nipped in the bud, I still have a tendency to shy away from people when I have things I want to do for myself. For me, that could include writing, reading, playing an instrument, or anything else that doesn't necessarily involve human interaction. Of course, those things, while more lasting than watching TV or playing a video game, are not as valuable or as lasting as the relationships we will forge in the next life.

As it was, I was a little hesitant to accept dad's midday offer to take bro and I out for a Fourth of July weekend campfire in the evening. Recognizing I won't have opportunities like this forever, however, I soon changed my mentality and led the charge out of the house. We had a hilarious time, searching for firewood (at the nearest convenience store), lighting the fire (with our fireplace lighter and pages torn from an atlas), roughing it out (while eating candy corn and drinking Gatorade), singing sweet ukulele songs, and telling ol' fashioned ghost stories. It was a good bonding experience for the three of us, and I'm glad I didn't duck out. I don't think I should ever duck out for things like that.

Angellic Chorus



Moroni 7:8 "... wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he had retained the gift..."

Something I've really improved on, yet haven't quite mastered yet, is being willing to give of my time. Before my mission, whenever anyone ever asked me to spend time or do something with them, I would skeptically look at whatever I was doing (generally playing a video game or watching a TV show), and decline the request. I would occasionally get on my feet and be social, but I was always counting the cost, thinking about what I was missing out on even as I socialized.





Even today, I had those feelings as I piled into the car to go watch my two youngest siblings perform in a two-hour long ensemble piece. What's really changed is that I am now completely willing to drop whatever I'm doing for whatever social request is asked of me, and even though I was sometimes plagued with thoughts of what I still had left to do ("I haven't finished my blog post yet," or, "I haven't digitalized my journal today"),  I really immersed myself in the greater task, namely, showing my genuine love and support for my siblings.

The performance was amazing! The music, singers, speakers, orchestra, and dancers all did a fabulous job. I was impressed by whoever had put everything together, creating a rich and diverse performance series that definitely touched the hearts of the performing youth and touched the hearts of the captive audience. I made sure to inform my siblings post-performance that they were 'total rock stars,' though I refrained from asking for their autographs.

The performance really helped encourage me to find more ways to let my light so shine, reminding me there is no medium, profession, or circumstance without some attached conduit to share the gospel. While this blog is certainly a good way to begin helping my light so shine, I most certainly am not stopping here.