Nugget of Wisdom #1
Don't underestimate the power of an adorable animal.
Not only can looking at pictures of cute creatures increase your mental acuity, it can get you through anything. And I mean, anything. I have been lucky enough to have friends who share in my love for all things lovable, furry, and tiny. This has been a virtual panacea for all of my life's ills. So thank you.
Nugget of Wisdom #2
Please don't bear your testimony of Mitt Romney, it won't make you look good.
I'm directing this towards you, elderly gentleman in the West Yellowstone ward. We were all impressed by your ability to represent Idaho at the RNC. However, during church I like to hear witnesses of the gospel, spirit, etc. When you become emotional talking about "clasping his hand as he passed through the multitude", it is difficult not to groan. You're making us look bad.
Nugget of Wisdom #3
When you hear screams of terror and shouting from next door, it's probably no big deal.
One Sunday, Kelsi and I were peacefully sitting on the deck when we were suddenly hit with a cacophony of sound from next door. The air was full of frenzied, frantic screaming coming from an adult male and two children. These sounds of horror reverberated through the backyard for at least a minute. Assuming someone was being murdered, mauled, dismembered, or some combination of the three, we ran to look over. Unfortunately, our view of this deliciously chaotic scene was obscured by our neighbor's giant tree. Eventually, the father screams to the children "Go! Go! Run! Get out of here!!" at which point I call over "Do we need to call 911?". No response. Just movement to the front. Kelsi and I run around to the front of the house and watch as a dramatic domestic scene unfolds. The mother is in the driveway ripping off the children's shirts screaming "How did this happen?!" while the father swats at his head and yells back "I didn't know they were there!". At this point everyone runs into the garage. Wondering if they were attacked by wasps, anthrax, or a flesh eating bacteria, Kelsi and I speculated throughout the day. Monday, the kids were out front playing like nothing happened. We may never know.
Nugget of Wisdom #4
Rebecca Stenquist is awesome.
More to come on this later.
Nugget of Wisdom #5
Life changes fast.
Driving back from Sacramento to Sandy, I very nearly could have been involved in a very scary accident. One minute I was being passed by a car from Utah and let my mind drift off into wondering if they were BYU or U of U fans, and the next minute, they were swerving all over the road, completely losing control at 85 mph. Now, fortunately they didn't roll over, as it looked like they were about to, and I had been paying attention, so was able to slow. But, both they and I could have been involved in a very very bad accident. A girl from my freshman ward who I didn't know too well recently had her husband pass away in a scuba diving accident. She is only a few months older than me. Things will always change, but sometimes that change can be sudden, and jarring. When that happens, there is no predicting it. There is not much you can do to prepare for that exact contingency. No matter what happens to us though, we can always control how we react. Do we become bitter that things have worked out the way they have, wallowing in the unfairness of it all? We could. But that benefits no one. I have learned (once again) that I need to take advantage of what I have today. Yeah, things happen, people change, life is unexpected. But, there is much I have now, that I won't always.
