Day Zero #7 & 31 - Movies and Swimming

#7: Attend the midnight premiere of a movie.

Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows - Part 2. It was epic. And awesome. And I can't wait to see it again! I took some pictures but... they're blurry. Maybe next time. I highly recommend midnight shows, though, particularly the three hour wait on the sidewalk outside playing word games and 20 questions with friends. And eating candy. Lots of candy...

#31: Learn how to swim properly.

This happened quite unintentionally. Ryan's family is doing a triathlon in September, and they invited me to join them. In the process I would knock out goal number 13 (run in an official race/athletic event) and so I thought, hey, why not. So we went swimming. And after a couple of nights of nearly swallowing the pool, I finally mastered proper swimming - head in the water and everything. The goggles definitely help. My life is enriched now that I know how to swim. Next up: master that awesome little underwater somersault to turn around...

Too good for a title

Seriously. There's simply not a title I could imagine up that could accurately capture the fabulousness of life right now.

• Bowling
• Long walks in the wind
• Dinners
• Swimming 
• Movies
• Games
• Miniature golf
• FHE
• Running
• Basketball

 All a part of the whirlwind I call life the last three weeks. We finally took a picture.

 

You can see I haven't changed much. I can't resist ruining a perfectly good picture :)

This one is better.

Life is beautiful and amazing and I love it!

Viva la Vida.

'Tis the Season

Today I am thinking about strings of colored lights, and the smell of a fresh pine tree in the window. I'm thinking about snowflakes and standing in the street at night watching them fall all around me, until a snowball flies out of the darkness into my face and suddenly there's laughter and shrieking and the world becomes a raging battle of white, wet fluff. I'm thinking about spiced cider simmering on the stove and making the whole house feel like heaven just because of the smell. I'm thinking about hiding things under the bed and in the corner of the closet and under the socks in the bottom drawer and keeping everyone informed of all the places they're not allowed to look for the next five weeks. I'm thinking about long lists of names and having genius ideas of what to give people and working frantically to finish everything in time. I'm thinking about carols by candlelight, reading the story over and over, remembering the real reason that this season is the most wonderful time of the year. I'm thinking sugar cookies and lemon pound cake and nutmeg and popcorn, green saran wrap and orange frosting on carrot cookies. I'm thinking snowboots and scarves and striped gloves. But most of all I'm thinking of sitting on the floor under a beautiful evergreen tree, listening to soft music and thinking about how beautiful life is until I fall asleep.

It's July 18.

Oh boy.


Viva la Vida.

Swimming laps

I learned how to swim laps this week. And by swimming laps, I mean learning the general art of keeping my head in the water, coordinating my breathing, keeping my eyes in my goggles open, swimming a straight line, NOT inhaling the entire pool... etc. 

It's like life. There's a lot to think about. If you stop doing any of the important things, you choke, and the water wastes no time in trying to drown you. You have to be diligent, keep moving forward, keep a steady rhythm going, and not panic when things don't go quite right. 

You also have to slow down. President Uchtdorf gave an amazing conference address where he challenged us to focus on the things that matter most, to simplify our lives a little. When life gets stressful and challenges arise, too often we try to keep up the same frantic pace. There is no shame in stopping to breathe, in taking some time to refocus on the important things in life. Just like in swimming, too often we choke a little and instead of slowing to take a deeper breath, we plunge on ahead, often nearly drowning ourselves in the process. 

Life is too beautiful to waste a single moment coughing and spluttering in a frantic pace toward a supposed finish line. Life is not a race, but a journey, to be taken at the pace that most enables us to progress. Worry, fear, and stress are a part of life. They visit every so often, and when they do, it is up to us to take a deep breath and continue paddling, to continue doing the things that matter most. The Lord counsels, "Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength...but be diligent unto the end." (D&C 10:4) 

With perseverance and unwavering faith, pretty soon we'll finish our laps and reach the end of the pool and, like Paul, be able to say, "I have fought a good fight,  I have finished my course, I have kept the faith... Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day." (2 Tim. 4:7-8). 

Viva la Vida.

But be of good cheer; I have overcome the world

The phrase "Be of good cheer" has occasionally stuck out to me in various contexts, and I've often wondered just what exactly Christ meant when He told us to "be of good cheer." Surely, I've thought, there are times when He can't possibly expect us to be cheerful - the world is filled with trials and problems that touch each of our lives in personal and painful ways. But the more I learn about the gospel, the more I realize that yes, it is possible to be of good cheer, even in the midst of a whirlwind of pain and affliction.

I read an amazing article in the Ensign today that talked about this very subject. I highly recommend it, it can be found online here or on page 57 of the July 2011 Ensign. I think the adversary didn't want me to read it, because I literally started to read it six times before I was finally able to finish the whole thing uninterrupted. And when I finally did, I was really glad. The author pointed out a number of things that really stood out to me.

First, "Obedience to God is not insurance against pain and sadness." It's a false assumption to think that if we're perfect, life will be perfect. To quote a favorite movie, "Life IS pain, Princess. Anyone who says differently is selling something." (Princess Bride).
Challenges, trials, and tests of faith are an inherent part of life, and they are no respecter of persons. Everyone suffers, even those who strive daily to keep all the commandments. Therefore, we can be of good cheer even in the midst of the trial, knowing that pain and suffering doesn't mean God is punishing us, or that we're bad people.

Second, if we believe that we have to be perfect before the Atonement will cover us - we're wrong. It's easy to think that we have to be perfect in all things and then Christ's atonement will kick in and relieve us of the heavy burdens we bear.
I have come to know that our Heavenly Father does not leave anyone to struggle alone, trying to lift the burden of perfection without His help. The only catch is simply that we have to turn to Him. Sometimes that involves acknowledging personal weakness. Sometimes it takes repentance, or humility. No matter what it requires, the promise is that the weight will lift from our shoulders, and we can find joy through Him.

"Cheerfulness in the scriptural context connotes a divinely assured optimism, "a deep trust in God's unfolding purposes," a grounded conviction that God will always keep His promises.... True happiness and satisfaction are found only by turning away from the world and coming to Christ." He has promised His help, His love, and His forgiveness when we come to Him in humility. "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
I can think of no better reason to be of good cheer.

Viva la Vida.

Day Zero #21 - Read 7 book recommendations

#21: Get 7 book recommendations from friends and read them all.

Let's be honest. As awesome as Harry Potter is, I can't just read and reread it for the rest of my life. So I branched out. Here's what I read:

1. Who Stole my Cheese?
2. Fablehaven series
3. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief series
4. The Ranger's Apprentice series
5. The Prince and the Pauper
6. Women of Israel series
7. Butterfly Box series

ALL of these books were excellent - and as you can see, for many of them I read the whole series. Fablehaven was my favorite, with Percy Jackson and The Ranger's Apprentice right behind them. I'm mad at Orson Scott Card for not finishing the Women of Israel series, and I anxiously await the next Butterfly Box book.

In working on this goal, I rediscovered my absolute LOVE for reading! I don't read books. I devour them. I lose myself in the story, and I finish the book with a sense of slight surprise that I'm still in the real world. I become the characters I read about, and I have adventures, explore new lands, become excited and sad as do the characters.

"A good book should leave you... slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading it. " I love that quote - and for me it's true. I needed a nap after finishing the great battle with Morgorath in the Ranger's Apprentice! Movies are great - but there's something special about entering the world of imagination contained within a book.

We'll bring the world His truth

Incidentally, that's one of my very favorite songs. Just as a side note.

In the spirit of my recent contemplation of the power and joy that comes from missionary work, I was catching up on reading a mission blog, and I love this post here. I love hearing stories like this, and I'm happy for all the people in the world who have the opportunity to hear and accept the Gospel - because it holds the only source of true joy!

Viva la Vida.