Mother Teresa

I bore my testimony today. That is good news.

I have to start my social life over up here at college. My guy friends are going on missions this summer. My girlfriends are going home this summer. Some of them are getting married. Some are transferring to other colleges. One is staying I think. Aurie doesn't know if she is coming back. My friends are leaving me. It's a strange feeling. I'm used to doing the leaving. And I really, really do not like it.

So I need to start over again.. Doors close and other doors open. I've discovered that sometimes opportunities come with heartache more than excitement.

But I found something along the lines of what the Big Post was about. It is from Mother Teresa, and it is taped on my wall above my light switch so I see it many times each day:

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies; Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you've got anyway.

It was never between you and them anyway.

Goodnight everyone.

The Big One

Okay guys, this is the Big Post you've all been waiting for.

Only you didn't know you were waiting for it! That's the best part!

Surprise! Happy Big Post Day!

And these days it's difficult to distinguish from a big post and a Big Post. If you don't know the difference, I will tell you:

big post is all lower case letters. Big Post is in title case.

And that is your lesson for today.

Only that's not all! I have more lessons for you!

Except they are not really lessons. But do not cry about that minor detail, because they are actually something better than lessons. They are....

(drum roll)

...Life Rules! (notice title case)

This is the reason I've made everyone wait for a Big Post.

I gathered life lessons various people live by for everyone to prosper from. So here you go, and feel free to comment on them (I like them a lot):

Tara Thomas:
Own up to your actions or you'll always blame other for your mistakes and keep making them.

Acknowledge when people have changed.

Always reserve the right to change your mind.

Don't apologize if you don't mean it.

Don’t screw over LaDawn.

David Hart:
Rule #1: That little voice in the back of your mind that seems to know everything...that's God...people aren't that smart.

Rule #2: Be true to yourself and others. If you say you are going to do something, DO IT. If you let yourself down or let others down you destroy trust. You have to be able to trust yourself and others need to know that they can trust you.

Rule # 3: Always be on time, because if you’re late it shows you have no control over your life.

Kelly Juhasz:
Work hard to play hard. You have to work to get money to support yourself (and your play). Life is about having fun, but you’ve gotta equal out the work somehow.

Susan Kinzer:
Life isn't fair, and sometimes it gets worse, so get over it.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy path.” People can let you down a lot, but God never will and He's always there for us.

Tamra Law:
1. If in doubt, don't. Ask yourself, “How will you feel about it later?” If I have to talk myself into doing something or wonder about it too long, then it probably isn't a good idea. It has kept me out of a lot of trouble and forced me to do stuff I've always been glad afterwards that I did.
2. If it's to be, it's up to me. I've always believed this because it sucks relying on others and then getting let down. This can be taken too far though, and I did this in my life. I didn't trust what I knew Heavenly Father was telling me and figured I could make things work.

Connie Ward:
1 - Never, ever, ever go against my gut. Because every time I go against my gut, even for something simple and supposedly stupid, I have regretted it. It's where the Holy Ghost can speak to me...my job is to pay attention. It gets easier, the older I get...probably because I've had the opportunity to regret things, even if it was as simple as asking a friend, "Isn't that your purse?"...when I was pretty sure it wasn't. So I didn't ask her. Turns out, it was. She had to drive an extra 2 hours to get it back. And all I'd have to have done was open my mouth when my gut told me to. Things like that.

2 - Family first. My family is who I am, and my family is what matters...they are what I'll have in the life to come...and they are who I have to be able to look in the eye. I want them to never doubt my love or my loyalty to them.

Cecily Hart:
I would like the lives of those I come in contact with to be easier because I was there. Just even a little teensy bit easier. Like giving directions kindly, or even thanking people who wait for me to get past them at a crosswalk on my bike. Like smiling at everyone who gets on the bus I am riding on. Like saying "that must have been disappointing" instead of saying "why are you upset over a silly thing like that?" There are lots of people I see whom I will never see again. I like to make their day that little bit easier instead of making it a little bit harder.

Appreciating might be a second thing. I appreciate that sometimes the creator of the universe turns to me. It is an amazing thought. I appreciate that for all the times I do see the hand of the Lord in my life, there are many times I have not. I appreciate that sometimes he gives me gifts in wrapping paper that I hate, and I appreciate that he is willing to show me the gift even after I have had fits about the wrapping paper. (This is entirely figurative, of course. I hope my meaning is clear...that sometimes I hate the circumstances but love the spiritual education that comes from them. )

My overall plan for my life is that I will grow up to be like Yosemite Valley....Yosemite valley is beautiful. Spectacular. And it is what is left after a glacier gouged the heck out of it. I suppose that when that glacier was grinding down those mountains, those mountains were not thrilled. What is beautiful is what resulted. I try to take that approach to the circumstances of my life. When we see what is left, after my circumstances have changed me throughout my life, we will all rejoice in who I have become.

Cords

I dedicate this post to my mother. Without her, I would be missing out on great comments. Thanks, Mom.

Now, you might be asking yourself why this post is called "Cords".

If you aren't, then I'll ask it for you.

"Hey, Brittany, why is this called 'Cords'?"

Good question, Brittany. I'd love to tell you. Love to.

Recently, I've decorated the living room, with the help of my good friend Aurie. I would like to take a picture of the walls and cupboards in the kitchen, because then I could post it online for everyone to see. I know everyone would think, "Oh, how cute and fun and silly! That's a very creative way to bring color into a dull, boring, cheap-hotel-looking apartment!" I just know those are the exact words that would go through everyone's minds!

But I cannot find the cord for my digital camera--the one that lets me transfer photos from the camera to the computer.

So where is the fun in that, I ask you?

That is also a great question, Brittany.

Next topic.

I want someone to make a musical device that blinds everyone so that I can dance even if I'm in the middle of the grocery store and no one will notice. They will be too busy with their sudden problem of blindness and wondering how they will find the rest of their groceries and get home.

I think that would be a very convenient product, and I would buy it.

Next topic.

I have another bedtime story for all of you.

Once upon a time, a U.S. Naval Ship and Canadian Authorities off the coast of Newfoundland had a conversation over the radio:

U.S.: Please change your direction 15 degrees to the North to avoid a collision.

Canada: Recommend you divert YOUR course 15 degrees to South to avoid a collision.

U.S.: This is the Captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course.

Canada: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course.

U.S.: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER ENTERPRISE, WE ARE A LARGE
WARSHIP OF THE US NAVY. DIVERT YOUR COURSE NOW!

Canada: This is a lighthouse. Your call.

And they lived happily ever after.

Bragging and Regretting

I just finished a research project for my professsional writing course. We had to make a portfolio with a bunch of different stuff in it. One thing we made was a fact sheet that could only be one page long, and it had to summarize our research. Well, my empirical research report was 13 pages long, so I was worried about how I would summarize everything onto one page without it getting too crowded. I also wanted the fact sheet to look as professional as possible, so I worked on design elements for five hours. And no, I'm not crazy. I'm just extremely picky.

Turns out, I am more talented than I give myself credit for.

Not only did I condense everything to less than a page worth of content, I designed a very impressive layout. It was the best one in the class, honestly. My instructor told me that I might want to include it in my professional portfolio, then she corrected herself and changed her suggestion to a firm demand that I include it in my portfolio. I didn't hear her do that to anyone else.

Moral of the story: Staying up until four in the morning might be in your best interest.
Another Moral of the story: There's nothing wrong with being picky.

Next topic.

Today Aurie slipped on the snow on the way home and scratched her arm and muddied up her pant leg and froze her feet and hands. Apparently, I laughed at her. I didn't mean to, I really felt bad that she fell--it's not like I get a kick out of her misery. But I have this horrible habit of laughing when I don't know what to do about a situation and I don't even realize I do it.

One of my goals in life is to be the type of person who can respond to any situation in a classy, attractive way. I want to be the type of person people are happy to just be around. I can't be that person if my automatic response to distress and awkwardness is laughter. So I've got to stop that.