Finals are still in the process. I have two down, and three to go. Well in about two hours I will have 3 down and 2 to go. Things are looking up. Plus on friday one of my companions from my mission is getting married. We always joked who would get married first and it looks like he beat me. Don't worry I am not twiddling my thumbs, I am actively engaged in a good cause.
As I have taken a moment to think I have noticed a few things that I am looking forward to this christmas break. I am looking forward to relax, reflect, heal, and learn.
First of all I am looking forward to relax. School is stressful. So is running track. And don't let me forget dating. Now try managing these three giants at once. Oh I forgot one, there are church duties as well. I am not saying that I am just going to disappear in a cave and shy away from all of these responsibilities over break, but actually the sound of that sounds nice. I just want to take it easy and not worry about things so much. That is what I mean by relaxing. Relaxing my mind as well as my body.
Next I am looking forward to reflect. With less distractions in my life I will be able to reflect more efficiently. I don't seem to take as much time to reflect anymore. Personally it pays huge dividends to myself and keeps me sane. If I let the stressed of the world get me too much then I am not a happy camper. Reflection helps me to be a happy camper. I reflect on a lot of things. My future, my goals, my strengths, my weaknesses, what I can do to become a better person, Jesus Christ, His Atonement, gospel principles, what I want in a future spouse, etc.
Then I am looking forward to heal. My hamstring feels like a popped tire on an old ford pinto. It is not functioning very well. Neither did the ford pintos. Hopefully it isn't going to explode like some of the ford pinto's did. I need to give it time to heal so it doesn't explode. By explode I mean damage even further.
Lastly I will take the time to learn. Learn from my mistakes, good books, friends, etc.
Yes now I am looking forward to that day. Finals will be over soon enough and I will be able to enjoy two weeks of luxury. Oh ya I am going skiing too!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Adversity
Adversity always seem to have its clever way of catching up with someone. It doesn't just hit you in a moment and then leave forever. It comes and goes. It is unpredictable. There is no way to hide from it.
About a month ago I twisted my ankle. At first I didn't notice any ill effects. But then the next morning I woke up and the muscle to the side of my calf was as hard as a rock. I told my coach my leg was feeling a little tight and he was like "You'll be ok just jog it out." Then I showed my leg to him and the muscle was bulging out. He grabbed it and couldn't believe how hard it was.
That injury set me back about a week. It wasn't that big of a deal. I was excited to start training again once the tightness left. About a week after that injury I went home for Thanksgiving break. I decided to go do a track workout when I got home and ended up straining my hamstring.
The next morning I woke up, it was sore, and I could barely walk. This was another set back I wasn't expecting. I was pretty frustrated. I had a lot of things on my mind at that time. It seems whenever I am stressed out I get injured. There must be some kind of relationship between the two.
Well my hamstring injury set me back about two weeks and then I got back into training once again. I felt refreshed and excited to get to work again. I have specific times I want to run this year and I didn't want to waste anymore time.
Then I strained the same hamstring again. Two strains on the same hamstring within two weeks. My leg wasn't strong enough. I tried to sprint on it too soon. I usually do not show my emotions. I try to hide them so people don't ask questions. Inside I was livid. I wanted to scream and break something. I didn't do either because I am calm and collective. But I wanted to.
The next day I was ok and realized that patience is a virtue. It is not the end of the world. I have a lot to be grateful for. I will never take for granted a healthy body. I am grateful for my family, for good friends, and for the opportunity I have to learn and grow. I am grateful for a savior that loves me and cares for me. I am grateful for his example in my life.
I realize that greatness doesn't come easy. The trials are not what makes a man. The ways someone deals with the trials they are given makes the man. You can grow more through adversity than when everything is just handed to you. Your character grows more when you have to go through trials.
Really we are just big rocks. Each trial hopefully chips the rough edges off more and more. Eventually we will be as smooth as a pearl. But only with the help of a very patient master.
About a month ago I twisted my ankle. At first I didn't notice any ill effects. But then the next morning I woke up and the muscle to the side of my calf was as hard as a rock. I told my coach my leg was feeling a little tight and he was like "You'll be ok just jog it out." Then I showed my leg to him and the muscle was bulging out. He grabbed it and couldn't believe how hard it was.
That injury set me back about a week. It wasn't that big of a deal. I was excited to start training again once the tightness left. About a week after that injury I went home for Thanksgiving break. I decided to go do a track workout when I got home and ended up straining my hamstring.
The next morning I woke up, it was sore, and I could barely walk. This was another set back I wasn't expecting. I was pretty frustrated. I had a lot of things on my mind at that time. It seems whenever I am stressed out I get injured. There must be some kind of relationship between the two.
Well my hamstring injury set me back about two weeks and then I got back into training once again. I felt refreshed and excited to get to work again. I have specific times I want to run this year and I didn't want to waste anymore time.
Then I strained the same hamstring again. Two strains on the same hamstring within two weeks. My leg wasn't strong enough. I tried to sprint on it too soon. I usually do not show my emotions. I try to hide them so people don't ask questions. Inside I was livid. I wanted to scream and break something. I didn't do either because I am calm and collective. But I wanted to.
The next day I was ok and realized that patience is a virtue. It is not the end of the world. I have a lot to be grateful for. I will never take for granted a healthy body. I am grateful for my family, for good friends, and for the opportunity I have to learn and grow. I am grateful for a savior that loves me and cares for me. I am grateful for his example in my life.
I realize that greatness doesn't come easy. The trials are not what makes a man. The ways someone deals with the trials they are given makes the man. You can grow more through adversity than when everything is just handed to you. Your character grows more when you have to go through trials.
Really we are just big rocks. Each trial hopefully chips the rough edges off more and more. Eventually we will be as smooth as a pearl. But only with the help of a very patient master.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Stress
I have a friend from high school that has been stressed out a whole lot more than myself. Her parents split up when she was in high school. Since then her dad has made a lot of empty promises to her; e.g., I will pay for your education, and I will pay for your car.
He promised that if she took out loans in her name then he would help make the payments on those loans. What was the result? He ended up making her responsible for paying them in the long run.
She didn't make wise choices and eventually got kicked out of the school she was attending. The loans she took out unfortunately didn't disappear with her leave from school. Now she has had to work multiple jobs and accept any double shifts she could to take care of these responsibilities.
Her dad has basically left her on her own since she turned 18.
Over Thanksgiving Break I tried to catch up with her but she was too busy with work and other engagements.
Yesterday I decided to write her a letter and send some pictures of when we used to hang out in the good old days. We used to take her family with us to our cabin in Mammoth to go snowboarding so I had a bunch of pictures from those vacations. I hope she will find some joy in the simple letter I wrote as well as when she sees the pictures of our past.
It was something that had been on my mind for quite some time so I am glad I was able to finally get it done. I hope it will in some way, probably small, relieve some of the stress she has been experiencing for quite some time.
He promised that if she took out loans in her name then he would help make the payments on those loans. What was the result? He ended up making her responsible for paying them in the long run.
She didn't make wise choices and eventually got kicked out of the school she was attending. The loans she took out unfortunately didn't disappear with her leave from school. Now she has had to work multiple jobs and accept any double shifts she could to take care of these responsibilities.
Her dad has basically left her on her own since she turned 18.
Over Thanksgiving Break I tried to catch up with her but she was too busy with work and other engagements.
Yesterday I decided to write her a letter and send some pictures of when we used to hang out in the good old days. We used to take her family with us to our cabin in Mammoth to go snowboarding so I had a bunch of pictures from those vacations. I hope she will find some joy in the simple letter I wrote as well as when she sees the pictures of our past.
It was something that had been on my mind for quite some time so I am glad I was able to finally get it done. I hope it will in some way, probably small, relieve some of the stress she has been experiencing for quite some time.
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