Live Now

Sometimes I look at my little sheet of classes I have to take to get my BSW (Bachelors of Social Work). Its such a long list...and I haven't even finished my generals yet, and then figure in Grad School. That's approximately 4-5 more years of school. Why didn't I take advantage of AP classes and concurrent enrollment? 

Don't get me wrong...I really like being in school. You get money from the government to study something you like and then you don't have to be a custodian the rest of your life. Trust me, you don't ever want to be a custodian if you can help it, much less the rest of your life. Also, compared to having a house and some kids, this time of life is pretty chill. 

On the other hand, I would like to get up at a reasonable hour and go to my job that I love- or spend the day with the kids that I love (don't mistake this for baby hungry, cause I'm not). I would love to live closer to family and friends. 

However, I remember wishing away childhood, then high school, then single life, and now this? I think its time I learn to live in and enjoy the moment- the stage of life I am in now, because- lets be honest- its pretty good. 

-I have a wonderful husband.

-We live in a nice apartment, with fun things like a Wii, popcorn machine, and a comfy bed.

-We have enough money to go to school, have a car, have the nice apartment, eat, and have fun.

-We finally have jobs which is great considering how many people in this town are jobless and have been longer than we were. 

-We get to visit family fairly often.

Well, I don't know about you, but I feel a lot better. Maybe I just had a case of the Monday Blues.

"One problem with gazing too frequently into the past is that we may turn around to find the future has run out on us."  -Michael Cibenko

"Having spent the better part of my life trying either to relive the past or experience the future before it arrives, I have come to believe that in between these two extremes is peace."  -Author Unknown

Fasting

"Fasting, coupled with mighty prayer, is powerful. It can fill our minds with the revelations of the Spirit. It can strengthen us against times of temptation. Fasting and prayer can help develop within us courage and confidence. They can strengthen our character and build self-restraint and discipline. Often when we fast, our righteous prayers and petitions have greater power. Testimonies grow. We mature spiritually and emotionally sanctify our souls. Each time we fast, we gain a little more control over our worldly appetites and passions...Fasting in the proper spirit and in the Lord's way will energize us spiritually. It will strengthen our self-discipline, fill our homes with peace, lighten our hearts with joy, fortify us against temptation, prepare us for times of adversity, and open the windows of heaven."
-Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

I am not a huge fan of fasting...it is really hard for me. I get headaches and am really grumpy. But, reading that quote helps me to have the desire to fast the right way in order to receive the blessings that come from it. Happy Fast Sunday!

Attitude of Gratitude

I know I'm a little late, jumping on the Thanksgiving/gratitude train...but the truth is, I've been too busy enjoying myself to blog about what has been going so great in my life.

"If you only had the things today that you thanked Heavenly Father for yesterday...What would you have?" 

That came from Sacrament meeting on Sunday. I always enjoy going to church in Utah with my family ward; nothing beats the Grove Creek 1st ward!
Over the summer, I tried to write 3 things every day that I am grateful for. I did really well then, but it has been really sporadic lately. I really want to relight the fire I used to had. I was more positive and optimistic when I was constantly looking for something to be grateful for....even in less-than-desirable situations. I found this gem on pinterest:

Isn't that completely darling? Now, I don't think I want a completely separate book for my "gratitudes" but I like the idea of counting up to 365 and organizing by month. So I'm working on adapting something similar into my journal. I hope everyone had a great holiday. Lets hang in there until Christmas fellow college students!

The Tongue of Angels

So, I was recently assigned to read Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talk entitled The Tongue of Angels.
In reading it, I realized that this is something that I (and in my opinion everyone else in the world) can always be working on.

"The stroke of the whip maketh marks in the flesh: but the stroke of the tongue breaketh the bones." I don't think we can count the times someone has said something hurtful to us; nor can we erase the effect its had on us. I still remember in 7th grade TLC class when this boy (who will remain nameless, although I do remember his name) told me I was fat and had "kindergarten teacher hair." Now, know that I have forgiven this individual and have since moved on- but thinking back on it, it still stings.

How many times have I said something hurtful or mean, without even realizing it? This, to me, is a scary thought. I don't think anyone enjoys hurting peoples feelings or being blatantly mean, but often we are all insensitive without even realizing it. We have all heard the saying "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" countless times. Maybe its time to revisit this and think about what comes out of our mouths. I hope I'm not coming off as self righteous or like I'm attempting to passive-aggressively tell someone they've hurt my feelings. I'm really not. :)

Part two of the talk was my favorite, and also very applicable. "No misfortune is so bad that whining about it won't make it worse." My default to many unpleasant or inconvenient situations is just this (complaining/whining/being negative), just ask my husband. We are so accustomed to luxury and convenience that when something slightly unpleasant comes our way its the end of the world. Then we make it worse by complaining. Somehow this doesn't make sense to me.

So! I am trying to counteract my negativity with a gratitude section in my journal. Every day I'm going to write about 3 (specific) things I am grateful for. I did this over the summer when I was away from home and constantly struggling with homesickness and it worked wonders. Here is my gratitude list for today:

1. I am grateful for making productive use of my time. Being in the library and crossing off my To Do list items like mad is such a great feeling. So is knowing I will have more free time tonight.

2. I am grateful for Reese's Pumpkins (like Reese's Eggs). It was a perfect "pre-test" pick-me-up. Chocolate has that effect on me. :)

3. I am grateful for my husband. He drove me to yoga last night even when he had a lot of homework to do. He always makes time for me and for us even when he's crazy busy. 

What are you grateful for? 

{Authenticity}