Midlife Crisis at 18.

After reading my post title you may be in utter shock and disbelief or perhaps you're in a state of pure confusion. Before anyone gets seriously injured, let me explain.

As a college student my job is to start finding what I enjoy doing and start deciding what I want to do with my life. Up to this point I had a firm desire to become an architect. I was to design grand edifices and contribute to the vast network of architecture. I was to plan and build the houses of friends and family. I was to become the best of the best in building design. But then I hit a bump.

This bump of which I refer to is also known as Literature of the Outdoors in my mind. In this spectacular class I realized that I hated the anthropogenic world in which we live even more than I originally thought. I grew to despise the crowded freeways and endless world of concrete and steel that surround us. I learned to dislike the overindulgence of technology that we humans are so inclined to participate in. As I grew and came to know myself better through the words of Henry David Thoreau and Ed Abbey, it suddenly clicked. My current career path conflicts with my dislikes.

How do I continue to go down the road that will make me a hypocrite? How do I build something that I'm not certain I'm happy putting on the pure face of Mother Earth? 

Well, it's quite grand how the human mind works, because I've come up with a solution. Yes ladies and gents I've decided that I am to become a writer! I will grace the world with my eloquent words and pepper the endless library of literature with my thoughts. I will become the next Walt Whitman or Robert Frost.

Then I hit a wall. There isn't much money in the world of writing. No one reads books anymore. People instantly turn their heads at the sight of a lot of words with no pictures. Mankind is all about instant gratification now and writing doesn't appeal to the masses. So becoming a writer would be very hard and I would easily be overtaken by more superior writers than myself. So I say, "No Joe," to writing.

But who knows? Maybe I'll be a small-home-building-transcendentalist-writer-who-lives-in-rural-Utah-and-loves-nature when I grow up. Until that day, I'll take life one step at a time.

Love you all! Keep being stellar!

Best Cousins Ever.

I'm pretty sure I have the best cousins ever. We had a hang out day today and it couldn't have been more fun.

As we were playing outside in the snow, Jayden suggested that we head over to the nearby freeway overpass and go sledding down the hill there. We grabbed the sleds and walked the mile or so to our new adventure.

When we arrived we immediately jumped on our sleds. The air was filled with screams and hollers as we flew down the hill at lightning speed. We laughed at each other as we occasionally caught an edge and landed in a flurry of snow at the bottom. As we kept sledding we slowly increased our height on the hill. As our legs became tired I suggested that we form a train for our last and final stunt. We headed to the highest hill and grabbed each others' legs. "Three, two, one!" we shouted.

We headed down the hill at breakneck speed, but there was a slight problem: Jackson couldn't put his legs in the sled. As we barrelled down the hill, his feet hit the powdery snow and sprayed us with cold fluff. Our eyes became blinded and soon we felt the sleds turning sideways. Almost immediately the sleds caught the edge and we were shoved into the snow. We tumbled over each other and faceplanted in the snow. We laughed and laughed as we saw the snow on each others' faces.

This picture was taken shortly after our epic wipeout. What a great adventure it was!

Have a wonderful weekend! Keep being stellar.

Soak It In

Find the sun, then soak it in.

Wordless.

I had a song stuck in my head today. You've probably never heard it before.

Why? Because it's my song. It's the song that plays in my head. It plays when I'm sad, hurt, happy, loved, scared, tired, overwhelmed, overjoyed, and upset. It's a song that has neither words, nor notes. I can't hum it, nor can I play it. It's too perfect for man, yet too flawed to be shown. This song is not made by me, for I could not compose such a complex piece. I didn't choose the rhythm or the beat. I didn't choose the style. No, some greater being that knows me better than I know myself chose everything.

At times I don't like the song. It's often atonal and cruel. Sometimes it's screechy and loud. It pierces my mind and I collapse, hoping to avoid it. But my song cannot be deleted. It cannot be stopped.

Other times the song is the most beautiful thing I have ever heard. The invisible melody floats through my thoughts and the meter is perfect. It pierces my soul and I rise up to be better than I can ever possibly be.

No one else can hear my song. It's a good thing too. For everyone has their own song, one to find, experience, and love.

There is no one I would rather be than me.

People Person?

I realized tonight that I'm not much of a people person.

Don't get me wrong, I love being with certain people at certain times, but when it comes to being around people constantly, everyday, 24/7, it gets a little frustrating.

I realize that it's time to get away. Time for me to get some "me" time, where there is nothing but my thoughts, my actions, and my dreams. I can ask myself questions and only I will answer back. I can never be afraid of not getting my say in because it's only my say that will count. 

Henry David Thoreau said, "There is no companion as companionable as solitude" and I completely agree. Sometimes people bring up to much drama and too much strife, and it is good to be alone in peaceful solitude.

Don't stay away too long though. People often bring the greatest happiness in life, so be quick to return so you can enjoy the companionship of others.

Snow at Snow!

Yes folks, it snowed at Snow!

I know, I'm punny, but let's be serious. I love the snow. It's wonderful. It's amazing the peace it brings and the brightness and purity it adds to the world. It's glorious.

This building is perhaps my all time favorite building on campus. The old architecture and gigantic trees around it just make me smile. Oh the old days..

Talk about cool shadows. The sun was shining as it was snowing. If you look close at all of these photos, you can see the snowflakes drifting down.

Here's a front view of my favorite building, the Noyes Building. There's just something amazing about it.

Here's the new sign across from the new dorms. It lights up at night. Woah.

So yup, there's my adventure in the snow. It was worth the cold 'cause I love Snow!

Ask the Audience

The past few days I've been lead to thinking about my religion and how it impacts those around me.

Many people, myself included, believe that many members of the LDS church are often times domineering, prejudiced, and judgmental. Some of us think ourselves to be better than everyone else and tend to force the gospel down peoples’ throats. I believe that this is wrong. We as members of the Church of Jesus Christ must behave like Christ would. We should not tell them what to believe, rather we need explain to them what we know and love. If they don’t want to believe what we have to say, we should respect their decision. We should continue to be their friend, love them, and show them that we care immensely about them despite the fact that they don’t have the same beliefs as us. God would never turn His back on someone simply because they don’t believe in Him. He loves all His children equally and is no respecter of persons. We should act the same as God would.

                 

Every person who lives on this earth is a child of God. They are loved. It doesn't matter if they are gay, disabled, foreign, of a different political party, or anything else. We must put aside our differences and befriend those who are in need of our friendship. Let us be quick to forgive and quick to forget. We must not be so sensitive about what others say about us. They can have their opinions and we must allow them to say what they need to say.

On the other hand, we must stand up tall and firm for what we believe. We must never waiver and strive our best to grow deep roots in our faith. We must not allow ourselves to be pulled up from the ground to wither and die. Never. It is imperative that we stay planted. We must be the best people we can be, whether we are religious or not. 

I'm sorry if I'm being too bold in my statements, but understand this is a generalization. If something is offensive to you, maybe this is something you can improve on. These are just my thoughts. What are yours? I'd be glad to hear them!

I love you all! Keep being stellar!