It is OK to Hurt

I’m finding in life that it is ok to hurt – but to clarify, it is not ok to despair. I do not believe we were sent here to learn how to escape pain, as tempting as that is. We were sent here to feel pain and to feel joy. We are here to cry and to laugh, to hurt and to love. I know it sounds overly simplistic, but we cannot truly have one without the other, and we need them for our human experience.

The past little while, my spectrum of emotion has become much closer to apathy than I would like. And I can tell you it was awful. I’m not fully out of this emotional state, but I’m getting closer. Over a short amount of time, so many conflicting emotions and issues were pressing in on me and so I felt and it was easier to shut them all out than try to process them. And soon, my ‘adventures’ stopped happening and my motivation dwindled. In time, I was only focused on being efficient to avoid the pain that otherwise was present. I stopped feeling connected to the people around me – acting and saying the right things, but not feeling them.

 It wasn’t until recently that I realized this, and that fact alone scared me. I still retreat into this apathetic ‘haven’ but I am getting better at venturing out of this cave and experiencing life again.

Remember, it really is ok to hurt, and experiencing life means experiencing pain. Don’t despair, but don’t seek to never feel pain. You’ll build up a lot of empty yesterdays. So, together we can fill up our lives with adventures – the highs and lows of life. And along the way, we’ll make a life worth remembering.

I'm Unique - Just Like Everybody Else

I have a couple friends getting married this month, and one thing they always tell me is how wonderful their wedding is going to be because it is unique. This trend caught in my mind and I’ve been pondering this desire for uniqueness for a few days and talked with a wise person about what it means.

Deliberate vs. Manipulative

So, I just read Alma 43:30 where it talks about Moroni’s opinion that it was “no sin that he should defend them [the Nephites] by stratagem.” It got me thinking of something I’ve thought about before, and shared on here, the importance of being deliberate.

True to form, I now have a (probably unclear) example from my life for you. See, in college, I had a friend who was very fun and persuasive. He told me all about this ‘dating game’ and all sorts of rules, and ways to get someone to date you.

Break the Cycle

Have you ever realized that you’re leading a terrestrial life? Nothing wrong per se, you’ve got friends and a good job, and you do help and make a difference. Well, maybe not. But I have.

Catch-Up

I've been away for a while - trying to live life instead of just observing it.

I just got back from a trip to California, and before that I was in Washington DC, and I've even been to work in and out of all my travels. :)

Life is an adventure - we are here to live it and to learn from our experiences. I'm naturally more of an observer - but it has been wonderful to be part of life, making memories and learning and becoming more like my Savior.

And, I've got a few more little thoughts I want to share that I've been thinking about

First is obedience. I've been noticing lately that people are actually naturally obedient. The rebellious streak is there, but it usually only comes out when the reasoning / consequences aren't clear or accepted. It's easy to look at the world and despair about the wickedness (which is there), but we can look around and see people all over trying to be good people. It's great.

Second, is the importance to keep moving forward. :) We need to be diligent my friends. And that means continuing to go forward when you don't know, understand, or feel like you can - when you know or at least feel it is right. It is very hard for me sometimes - I have a tendency to look at the big picture and get overwhelmed - but we can just take it day by day - be faithful today - do your best today. That kind of thing.

Third and fourth are the importance of keeping, understanding, and defending history and knowledge. We have a lot to learn, a lot to improve on, but we need to remember that the world didn't start when we were born. Things matter, and we should work to remember and teach them to others.

Sadly, the fifth point is one I wish I could report on better. I spent the week with members of my extended family who either aren't members of the church or aren't faithful. I wish I could say I was a firm person who testified distinctly and with eloquence, so their hearts were at least softened to the truth. Well, I tried a little, but I stumbled over words, and tried to avoid awkwardness, and wasn't very bold in my testimony. I don't think I messed it all up, but I could definitely have been better. I'm reporting this because I feel it is important to do so - being accountable helps me to grow.

The Great DC Adventure 2013

This is more of an update in my life - but if you are looking for something to read, feel free to read my long tale of my time in DC.

When you begin to live life, you begin to have adventures. Sometimes, they may not seem to be extraordinary adventures, but any adventure is better than no adventure.

Most of my life was spent in the ‘no adventure zone’ until I started noticing the adventure around me, especially when I started limiting my "I'm bored, I'll get on Facebook" time and other things like that.

This last series of events, which as I begin to type this, aren’t over yet – but it is the best time I have to start writing them down.

Ok.

Since Sunday

Well, it's been so different since I cut back on my media use a few days ago.