My Hunger started kicking in. Everyone had already eaten. I decided to go to Zupas by myself and get a sandwich and some soup. I am completely comfortable eating by myself. I actually enjoy it because it gives me time to relax and think.
The girls at the table next to me seemed to feel more awkward for me eating by myself than I did. I could see it in their eyes as they looked at me and then looked around to see if anyone else was coming. After they realized I really was eating by myself they looked over, smiled, and asked if I wanted to join them. I hope they don't think I was rude but I declined their offer. I was comfortable where I was and didn't really feel like moving over a table.
Then I noticed a bunch of people from my ward enter into Zupas so I ended up moving over to the table they sat at. They also thought it was weird I was eating by myself. Is it a crime to eat alone? Is it socially just not cool? I just laughed and thought it was funny.
This reminds me of another experience like this. I went to Cafe Rio one night around 9 p.m. Most of my friends had already eaten so I went by myself. After I finished dinner I went next door to spoon it up and got some yogurt. I knew the girl working at the cash register. This was her response when she noticed I was alone, "You are really getting yogurt all by yourself?" I just laughed and responded, "Ya this is how I do it." I sensed she felt bad for me that I didn't have anyone to get yogurt with.
Why is it so weird to go get food or yogurt by yourself? Are people really that insecure to always need someone with them when they go out into public? I guess people these days just don't enjoy their own company. Now by no means am I anti-social. I fully enjoy good company to dinner or lunch or yogurt. But sometimes it just doesn't work out and doing it alone works just fine.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Becoming a creator of circumstances
To act or to be acted upon. That is the question. We were created to act and not to be acted upon. To become creator of circumstances and not creature of circumstances.
Let me explain.
The rain was coming down. It was early in the morning. I was tired and wanted to stay in bed. But there was something itching at me to get up and be productive. The maintenance light on my car had been on for about a week so I called the dealership to see if they had any openings. The man through the phone responded, "Yes we are wide open today."
I headed down to the dealership and brought a book to read. I figured if I had to wait a little bit I might as well be productive. The man at the dealership told me it was the 15,000 mile service and that it would take longer than normal and be more expensive. The new synthetic oil my car uses makes things a little more pricy. "Great, sounds good" I said to myself. Just how I like to spend my saturdays. I don't actually mean that in a negative way. I was actually excited to have an hour and a half to read.
Normally I would have reacted with a bad attitude and wondered how in the world am I going to occupy a whole hour and a half? That would be being acted upon. I chose to take the news with a cheerful attitude and made the best of the time I had. I chose to act. It makes me wonder in what other aspects of my life I may look at things in a negative way or be acted upon. Do I become a "creature of circumstances."
There will always be things in life that do not go the way we plan or hope. That doesn't mean we should get frustrated over that fact and give up. It is our responsibility to make the best of whatever circumstances we are in and press forward with a cheerful attitude. True Happiness is not developed over night. True Happiness develops every little decision after another.
Let me explain.
The rain was coming down. It was early in the morning. I was tired and wanted to stay in bed. But there was something itching at me to get up and be productive. The maintenance light on my car had been on for about a week so I called the dealership to see if they had any openings. The man through the phone responded, "Yes we are wide open today."
I headed down to the dealership and brought a book to read. I figured if I had to wait a little bit I might as well be productive. The man at the dealership told me it was the 15,000 mile service and that it would take longer than normal and be more expensive. The new synthetic oil my car uses makes things a little more pricy. "Great, sounds good" I said to myself. Just how I like to spend my saturdays. I don't actually mean that in a negative way. I was actually excited to have an hour and a half to read.
Normally I would have reacted with a bad attitude and wondered how in the world am I going to occupy a whole hour and a half? That would be being acted upon. I chose to take the news with a cheerful attitude and made the best of the time I had. I chose to act. It makes me wonder in what other aspects of my life I may look at things in a negative way or be acted upon. Do I become a "creature of circumstances."
There will always be things in life that do not go the way we plan or hope. That doesn't mean we should get frustrated over that fact and give up. It is our responsibility to make the best of whatever circumstances we are in and press forward with a cheerful attitude. True Happiness is not developed over night. True Happiness develops every little decision after another.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Why was it so hard?
Hitting the time seemed a lot harder than usual. Was I tired? Was I unfocused? Was my competitive edge coming to an end? It was only 400 meters wasn't it?
In practice on Thursday we had six 400-meter sprints to run with about three minutes rest. We only had to run them in 75 seconds. On the first one I sprinted out in front of everyone and managed to hold them all off. I missed the time by three seconds. Why did it seem so hard to hit 75 seconds for a 400-meter sprint. I can run 47 second 400s in my sleep. I thought to myself, "There is no way this is 400 meters."
We continued the workout and started cutting the corners more and more in hopes of hitting the time. We were running on the grass so it was difficult to determine an exact distance of 400 meters. 78, 82, 79, . . . I started getting a little frustrated and a little discouraged. On the last one my coach said we weren't hitting the time and that we were either slow or it was longer than 400 meters. I told him it was longer but decided I would hit the time.
"Leo, this one is for you I said." He just laughed. I was tired. My legs were heavy, tight, and sore. But I was determined. When I say I am going to do something, I usually perform. As the whistle sounded I sprinted off with all the mental and physical strength I had. It didn't help my confidence having the hurdlers coming in the middle of our workout. We had already done three 400s before they started. That means they had fresh legs. I told myself "Who cares if they are fresh." So I sprinted off in the lead and continued pushing the pace until finally crossing the "400" mark. 72! I finally hit the time and was three seconds faster. I was dead however. My body was done.
Afterwards my coach went and measured the distance of our last 400 meter sprint. It was a whole 100 meters longer! Which means the first one was probably 600 meters because we kept cutting off more and more around the corners. So not only were we hitting the time he wanted . . . EVERYTIME . . . but we were running 100 meters more. On my last one I probably ran about a 56 second 400 and then finished the last 100 meters in 16 second.
Well I wasn't so slow and out of shape after all. My confidence went back up a little bit after that.
In practice on Thursday we had six 400-meter sprints to run with about three minutes rest. We only had to run them in 75 seconds. On the first one I sprinted out in front of everyone and managed to hold them all off. I missed the time by three seconds. Why did it seem so hard to hit 75 seconds for a 400-meter sprint. I can run 47 second 400s in my sleep. I thought to myself, "There is no way this is 400 meters."
We continued the workout and started cutting the corners more and more in hopes of hitting the time. We were running on the grass so it was difficult to determine an exact distance of 400 meters. 78, 82, 79, . . . I started getting a little frustrated and a little discouraged. On the last one my coach said we weren't hitting the time and that we were either slow or it was longer than 400 meters. I told him it was longer but decided I would hit the time.
"Leo, this one is for you I said." He just laughed. I was tired. My legs were heavy, tight, and sore. But I was determined. When I say I am going to do something, I usually perform. As the whistle sounded I sprinted off with all the mental and physical strength I had. It didn't help my confidence having the hurdlers coming in the middle of our workout. We had already done three 400s before they started. That means they had fresh legs. I told myself "Who cares if they are fresh." So I sprinted off in the lead and continued pushing the pace until finally crossing the "400" mark. 72! I finally hit the time and was three seconds faster. I was dead however. My body was done.
Afterwards my coach went and measured the distance of our last 400 meter sprint. It was a whole 100 meters longer! Which means the first one was probably 600 meters because we kept cutting off more and more around the corners. So not only were we hitting the time he wanted . . . EVERYTIME . . . but we were running 100 meters more. On my last one I probably ran about a 56 second 400 and then finished the last 100 meters in 16 second.
Well I wasn't so slow and out of shape after all. My confidence went back up a little bit after that.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
No date
I didn't get a date out of it after all. And it was my birthday too! Unless you consider a scraggly beard, wearing 20 year old clothes a date. But I don't.
On my birthday (October 9th) I went to the temple in the morning with my friend Josh from the track team. Afterwards we headed to Gandolfo's to get some breakfast sandwiches. On the way to Gandolfo's I noticed a homeless man on a bench by himself. He was across the street.
When we got into Gandolofo's I ordered an extra sandwich so I could offer it to the homeless guy when we left. I enjoyed typical guy talk with Josh. That means we talked about the women in our lives, which for both of us means a whole bunch. We tend to date around a lot never really settling down. We tell ourselves eventually when we find the right one we will. I am just waiting for her to come.
Anyways, as we were walking out I walked up to Dennis (the homeless guy) and asked if he was Hungry. He responded, "Not yet but I will be" and took the sandwich. He then talked our ears off for twenty minutes. Josh and I got about two words off between the two of us. I couldn't bear it anymore since it was a one way conversation so I told Dennis we had to go and took off.
It was a great way to start off my birthday. I don't really like all the attention you get on your birthday. I am glad I was able to forget myself in the morning by going to the temple and by buying Dennis lunch.
Now you may think I am quite noble and great because of this little deed. That is too nice of you. Let me fill you in. It was an assignment in my business writing class. We were asked to "buy a stranger a coke." Which meant we could by a stranger anything we wanted. At first I wanted to try and find the most attractive girl to buy something for (hoping to romantically fall in love afterwards . . . but really). I went into the cougar eat a few more times than usual on this hunt but found nothing to my liking.
I am grateful to have been able to provide breakfast for Dennis. I want to make this a weekly tradition. I think that will help me focus less on myself and more on others. One step at a time. This assignment has helped me realize what an amazing person the prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is. Thomas S. Monson is a man of service and love. He has learned throughout his life to forget himself and get to work! He truly is a prophet of God chosen to help us learn how to become more like God. President Monson's example of service is an inspiring push in the right direction!
On my birthday (October 9th) I went to the temple in the morning with my friend Josh from the track team. Afterwards we headed to Gandolfo's to get some breakfast sandwiches. On the way to Gandolfo's I noticed a homeless man on a bench by himself. He was across the street.
When we got into Gandolofo's I ordered an extra sandwich so I could offer it to the homeless guy when we left. I enjoyed typical guy talk with Josh. That means we talked about the women in our lives, which for both of us means a whole bunch. We tend to date around a lot never really settling down. We tell ourselves eventually when we find the right one we will. I am just waiting for her to come.
Anyways, as we were walking out I walked up to Dennis (the homeless guy) and asked if he was Hungry. He responded, "Not yet but I will be" and took the sandwich. He then talked our ears off for twenty minutes. Josh and I got about two words off between the two of us. I couldn't bear it anymore since it was a one way conversation so I told Dennis we had to go and took off.
It was a great way to start off my birthday. I don't really like all the attention you get on your birthday. I am glad I was able to forget myself in the morning by going to the temple and by buying Dennis lunch.
Now you may think I am quite noble and great because of this little deed. That is too nice of you. Let me fill you in. It was an assignment in my business writing class. We were asked to "buy a stranger a coke." Which meant we could by a stranger anything we wanted. At first I wanted to try and find the most attractive girl to buy something for (hoping to romantically fall in love afterwards . . . but really). I went into the cougar eat a few more times than usual on this hunt but found nothing to my liking.
I am grateful to have been able to provide breakfast for Dennis. I want to make this a weekly tradition. I think that will help me focus less on myself and more on others. One step at a time. This assignment has helped me realize what an amazing person the prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is. Thomas S. Monson is a man of service and love. He has learned throughout his life to forget himself and get to work! He truly is a prophet of God chosen to help us learn how to become more like God. President Monson's example of service is an inspiring push in the right direction!
Monday, October 4, 2010
General Conference Weekend
It is not a surprise the weekend was the highlight of my week. It was General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For those who may read this that may be of a different faith, General Conference happens twice a year (every six months) and we hear from the Prophet, members of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, and other leaders of the church. They speak about things that will help us be happy in this life and the life to come.
I had the privilege of attending the Saturday Morning session at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. It was a sweet experience to go there for the first time in person rather than simply watching the speakers on TV. It was a lot easier to focus being at the heart of the event. President Utchdorf, who is from Germany, gave a wonderful talk on slowing down in our life. Sometimes we just need to take the time to sit back and smell the roses. This talk really hit me hard because the week I had just had was non-stop. It didn't seem like I had time to breathe because I was trying to prepare for three different tests. I rushed my Econ test a little too much because I wanted to maximize my studying time. I ended up running out of time in the testing center because I waited too long to take it. If I would have taken time to sit back and slow down, I probably would have done a lot better on the test.
It is amazing how relevant all of the talks were to my life at this point. I know these men are chosen and called by God to help us know more clearly how we are to live our lives and prepare for the eternities. Another talk that hit me was by Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. He talked about some of the things he was grateful for. That caused me to reflect and think of things I am grateful for in my life. Among a few I am grateful for my health, my family and their support, my friends, my coach and his patience and time, the beautiful environment I am surrounded by and the area in which I live (even if it is not southern california at the moment) the scriptures and good books that cause me to think and learn. I am extremely grateful for the gift to ponder and think and receive revelation. I am grateful to have a Prophet on the earth today that helps me live a better life and be a better person. I am eternally grateful for my savior and lord Jesus Christ. I can't adequately express the magnitude of my gratitude for what he has done for me personally and the rest of mankind. What a selfless being full of love. I am grateful for God and his goodness and direction in my life (even when I am getting chastized for being dumb). Of this I am grateful!
I had the privilege of attending the Saturday Morning session at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. It was a sweet experience to go there for the first time in person rather than simply watching the speakers on TV. It was a lot easier to focus being at the heart of the event. President Utchdorf, who is from Germany, gave a wonderful talk on slowing down in our life. Sometimes we just need to take the time to sit back and smell the roses. This talk really hit me hard because the week I had just had was non-stop. It didn't seem like I had time to breathe because I was trying to prepare for three different tests. I rushed my Econ test a little too much because I wanted to maximize my studying time. I ended up running out of time in the testing center because I waited too long to take it. If I would have taken time to sit back and slow down, I probably would have done a lot better on the test.
It is amazing how relevant all of the talks were to my life at this point. I know these men are chosen and called by God to help us know more clearly how we are to live our lives and prepare for the eternities. Another talk that hit me was by Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. He talked about some of the things he was grateful for. That caused me to reflect and think of things I am grateful for in my life. Among a few I am grateful for my health, my family and their support, my friends, my coach and his patience and time, the beautiful environment I am surrounded by and the area in which I live (even if it is not southern california at the moment) the scriptures and good books that cause me to think and learn. I am extremely grateful for the gift to ponder and think and receive revelation. I am grateful to have a Prophet on the earth today that helps me live a better life and be a better person. I am eternally grateful for my savior and lord Jesus Christ. I can't adequately express the magnitude of my gratitude for what he has done for me personally and the rest of mankind. What a selfless being full of love. I am grateful for God and his goodness and direction in my life (even when I am getting chastized for being dumb). Of this I am grateful!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)