I am Grateful

Well, tomorrow is Thanksgiving and, in honor of it, I was thinking of things I am grateful for. Yes, I know I cannot write them all down or even think of them all but, I wish to try to get as many down as I can:

My family: a mom & dad who love each other and care about each of their children so much. siblings who support and love me and do a great job at making my day. For extended family that helps me and makes me feel loved when I am far from home and does little things to support me.

My religion: giving me a sense of direction  in my life. giving me strength when I have none. Giving me a reason to get up each day.

My Savior: Giving me strength when I feel alone in the world. A best friend that understands everything when others do not. Giving me a chance to return to live with Him and my Heavenly Father again through the Atonement. A perfect example for me to follow.

Temples: I can live with my family forever. I can feel peace in the middle of this crazy world. I can serve others who I have never met.

My education: Lets me continue to learn and grow and shape myself into the person I want to be. I am able to meet new people and grow and learn from them.

Friends: A support system when I feel alone. Help me become a better person.

Technology: Let's me keep in touch with friends and family from far away. It lets me increase my knowledge and share my thoughts with the world.

Missionary Work: Grants blessings to others and teaches me to be a leader and a better teacher.

Food: Makes me happy and feel good.

Medication: lets me continue to function when I am ill and makes me feel better.
Hygiene: Let's me feel clean.

AC/Heating: Always able to feel "just right" temperature-wise.

Nature: Beauty that can only be found when you're looking for it. It creates beautiful pictures and peace to my soul.

Music: Gives me peace and comfort. It is a way to express myself.

Senses: I am able to hear beautiful music, see all of God's creations, smell flowers and fresh bread, feel a soft breeze, & taste delicious food.

Sleep: Letting me rejuvenate and feel refreshed after a long day.

I know there are more but, the last one has made me really excited to retire to bed so, I will end my list here.  There are so many more wonderful blessings I have been given but, it is time for rest. Good night & Happy Thanksgiving!

Resorting to Creeping to the Max

This is actually a funny story and I hope no one gets extremely creeped out by this. As a disclaimer: I did not think this would actually work and that I would find the person I was looking for. I promise.

So, as has been said multiple times on my blog, I have many guy friends, "my boys," that are serving two year missions across the globe for our church [the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints AKA Mormons]. And, due to how slow and not super reliable the mailing systems are, there are many who I have not heard from in quite awhile. One of these I have not heard from in months had become a very close friend right before he left and I really wanted to know how he was doing and if he was even alive. So, I just decided, for the fun of it, to type his mission and his name on google. REMINDER: I DID NOT THINK THIS WOULD ACTUALLY WORK!!! Well, after looking through many blogs from people that were serving in that area with no results I clicked on a random blog from a guy who had been in the same MTC as my friend. Well, I hit ctrl+F and put this Elder's name in the search bar and I found two results. I was in shock. It was my friend! And then, as I kept scrolling to see if there was anything else, I found two pictures of him and his companions/district. I was in shock and was honestly about to cry. I could not believe it. It was quite a miracle and an answer to prayer to know he was alive and well. Now, I'm just hoping I'll finally hear from him but, until then, if that point comes, it is nice to know he is doing well. It was also an interesting thing to see how crazy technology has become. A few years ago, this would not have been possible. What a world we live in today.

Perspective

So, I realized I had been being quite a downer and looking at all the things going wrong in my life. This was upsetting and was causing me to be a lame person. Well, yesterday, when I woke up not feeling happy, I decided to change it. I prayed for a change of heart so that I would be able to make the best of my Friday. It was hard since it was a dreary, rainy day and things just kept seeming to go wrong. Then, there was a slight switch. I ran into an old friend randomly on campus and my mood started to lighten. Then, the rain turned to snow so, I went home for lunch so I could grab my snow gear. This gave me an opportunity to have some hot cocoa and a warm lunch. Then, after choir, I walked home and, from the slush+boots, I felt like I was tap dancing in water (that's what it sounded like). All of a sudden, I was so happy and almost just laughed the whole way home. While others were complaining about the annoying white stuff, I was enjoying myself. This new perspective changed my view of the day which helped me find the other fun, simple blessings.

The Philharmonic Orchestra asked the women of my choir to join them in performing Mahler's Third Symphony. This long sit on stage for a short time to sing could have made me quite stressed and upset but, instead, with this new perspective, I was able to enjoy it. The day ended wonderfully just because I had a change of attitude and an answered prayer.

Then, today, I was walking to make banana bread at a friend's and it had snowed more and the sidewalks were covered in tree branches. Once again, I could have continued my dismal outlook on life but, I made it fun and felt like I was in a video game as I tried to dodge the falling snow and walk around fallen branches. This enjoyment let me continue my happy day from yesterday. To quote several people, including my dad:

~~~~Attitude Determine Altitude.~~~~

To some this would be depressing but,
I saw it as more excitement to my adventure.

It is important to keep a positive perspective on life so that you can make the most of what you have. It's important to enjoy the here and now and not just focus on the finish line. Of course, keep the end in mind and try to be your best but, don't dwell on it so much that you miss all the beauty and fun that you have around you. It's important to love life just as much as you learn from it.