One Time Around the Block

I have the impression that the 2nd Post is very key. The first one will always be good, just because it's one single reference point; a dot on a page. The 2nd dot either makes a positive grade or a negative slope. Most blogs don't make it out of their infancy I suppose, because of the weight of the 2nd post.

I went on a walk late thursday night around Mellissa Circle (my street) to think about things. I realized, first off, how therapeutic a walk can be,

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and secondly, how essential it is to take some time and think about the issues at hand. But with that, come so many decisions. We have to weigh those things that are important to us. The deepest desires of our hearts will eventually seep out of every orifice of our life's embodiment. I once heard a quote that read, "God is great at giving us what we deeply, truly desire". If we desire knowledge and comprehension, then we have to desire it enough..that our feet will lead us to quiet places, our minds are open to think, and our ears are ever open to listen and our hands to apply. Likewise, if we desire money, then perhaps God will leave us with the consequences of money: emptiness, greed, and unsatisfaction.

I made that same walk yesterday with Bryan Botsford's dog (Josie) during the day. I noticed an interesting trend that i could relate to the consequences of people getting the desires of their hearts.

I was reading at Fox News and came across this piece of data:

"The number of unsold homes on the market at the end of March fell 1.6 percent from a month earlier to 3.7 million, not including new homes, according to the National Association of Realtors. But since sales remain sluggish, it would take almost 10 months to rid the market of those properties, compared with about 6.5 months in 2006." (FoxNews, "Housing Contruction Drops..."5/19/2009).

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This is what Apostles told us one month prior:

"All of us are responsible to provide for ourselves and our families in both temporal and spiritual ways. To provide providently, we must practice the principles of provident living: joyfully living within our means, being content with what we have, avoiding excessive debt, and diligently saving and preparing for rainy-day emergencies. When we live providently, we can provide for ourselves and our families and also follow the Savior’s example to serve and bless others...

"Another important way we help our children learn to be provident providers is by establishing a family budget. We should regularly review our family income, savings, and spending plan in family council meetings. This will teach our children to recognize the difference between wants and needs and to plan ahead for meaningful use of family resources." (Elder Robert D. Hales, 'Becoming Provident Providers').

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I am a firm believer of the old addage, 'You get what you want'. I guess that is why we search for good examples and align our desires with theirs. If we want temporary, then we'll choose the temporal. If we desire eternity, then we will choose the eternal.

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It was good to get out and walk around the block.

This is me transitioning

Here is my call to the blogging world! I figure there could be no better time to start blogging than at the beginning of one of the biggest life changes i have experienced so far in my 'sojourn through mortality'.

So if you aren't quite sure what i mean by transitioning, let me explain. I recently spent 2 years not watching TV, not going on dates, not reading the news, and not thinking about anything else, but how to help other people change their lives and live more like Jesus Christ. You will hear that name frequently mentioned, because i believe Him to be essential to all happiness, peace, and love that we experience. I conversed with German people (and all nationalities) about simple topics like: happiness, family, and religion. I took an interest in others and asked them what they believed, and shared with them the simple truths that had profoundly impacted my life. I often thought about a quote i had heard from a neighbor, "Believe in the power of your impact!" I took two years to be obedient to all the rules that i was asked to be subjected to, even and especially the ones i didn't understand! I took two years to take an interest in the lives of others, and in the salvation of my own. Two years was spent trying to serve others and trying to be good. I wasn't always successful in my diligence, but it was great just being able to really try and have no distractions for a couple years.

And that's what i mean by "transitioning". I went from a world of no distraction and no self-indulgence, to this place of advertisement, gratification, and shelves of peanut butter. I am finding that although life is much more satisfying, it is far less fulfilling. Do we ever really realize to what extent we are blinded to those things that truly matter? The transition has been eye opening!




Today's decisions do not only affect tomorrow's choices, but also this week's transitions, that we will be asked to experience. The traces of change are the outlines of life's transitions. In film, the frequency of transitory shots increases in action scenes and decreases with a fall in action. Drama films are notorious for 1 or 2 main 'plot changing' transitions; comedies for their unexpected and unimportant transitions. All scenes begin and end with transitions.

Basically, I am grateful to be home. I am really grateful to God for blessing me. I am grateful for a good family. I don't think it will matter which transition we are asked to endure, if we meet them with a grateful heart, we will ever see the positive and the negative will drift away with prayerful hearts.


This is me transitioning.