(3 Nephi 13:30)
There's a lot of things I've been wanting to post lately, but my life's been just a bit busy. Not to mention, they're complicated, and I'm not sure I can do them justice... Most of the time when I do anything artistic, I feel like the five year old who has this beautiful dream of a sculpture, and then ends up with sort of lumpy clay thing. Such is life, I suppose.
I was asked once, long ago when I was a pre-mission, dorm-dwelling college freshman in my very first YSA Ward, what my favorite season is. I'm very poor at choosing favorites, and on the spot, in front of everyone at ward prayer, I just sort of said I didn't know. "I live indoors," was my excuse. The truth is, it's more complicated than that--how do you pick a favorite season?
What I do have is favorite moments. Like today, walking from the Engineering building across campus to my car. The mountains on my left were capped with snow, but off to my right, the sun was beaming clearly down. The air was cool and crisp, in a delicious sort of way, and every now and then, as I stepped out of the shadow of a building, the sun would hit me with its warmth. I couldn't help but think that spring is on its way. True, Utah weather will probably make it a frozen wasteland 24 hours from now, but it wasn't just a physical spring I was thinking of.
Sometimes, right now feels like the coldest, wintriest, time of my life. Not that I hate winter; after all, there's Christmas, and sledding, and that delicious moment when your car heater is warm, and the world around you is just frozen, and you know you have to get out, but it just feels so nice. Still, though, winter can be hard. There's ice, and snowstorms, and that long, cold walk across campus when you realize you probably should have worn thermals. Sometimes, especially here, it seems like winter will never end.
And then there's a day like today, and I'm not really sure which I want to win; the cold air is delicious, but so is the sun.
I suppose there's a lesson in all this. I didn't really set out to write a post about my favorite kind of weather...
Our days are filled with these beautiful moments, but usually we just don't even see them. We're too busy complaining about the wind to remember that wonderful feeling where you feel, just for a moment, like the hero on the hilltop with the wind whipping at your cape (yeah, ok, I'm probably the only one that feels that way when it's windy). Too often, I get so caught up in what I need to get done or the responsibility that sits on my shoulders, and forget that "men are that they might have joy" (2 Ne 2:25). And then, I think, the Lord makes days like today, just to remind me: He cares.
There's a lot of things I've been wanting to post lately, but my life's been just a bit busy. Not to mention, they're complicated, and I'm not sure I can do them justice... Most of the time when I do anything artistic, I feel like the five year old who has this beautiful dream of a sculpture, and then ends up with sort of lumpy clay thing. Such is life, I suppose.
I was asked once, long ago when I was a pre-mission, dorm-dwelling college freshman in my very first YSA Ward, what my favorite season is. I'm very poor at choosing favorites, and on the spot, in front of everyone at ward prayer, I just sort of said I didn't know. "I live indoors," was my excuse. The truth is, it's more complicated than that--how do you pick a favorite season?
What I do have is favorite moments. Like today, walking from the Engineering building across campus to my car. The mountains on my left were capped with snow, but off to my right, the sun was beaming clearly down. The air was cool and crisp, in a delicious sort of way, and every now and then, as I stepped out of the shadow of a building, the sun would hit me with its warmth. I couldn't help but think that spring is on its way. True, Utah weather will probably make it a frozen wasteland 24 hours from now, but it wasn't just a physical spring I was thinking of.
Sometimes, right now feels like the coldest, wintriest, time of my life. Not that I hate winter; after all, there's Christmas, and sledding, and that delicious moment when your car heater is warm, and the world around you is just frozen, and you know you have to get out, but it just feels so nice. Still, though, winter can be hard. There's ice, and snowstorms, and that long, cold walk across campus when you realize you probably should have worn thermals. Sometimes, especially here, it seems like winter will never end.
And then there's a day like today, and I'm not really sure which I want to win; the cold air is delicious, but so is the sun.
I suppose there's a lesson in all this. I didn't really set out to write a post about my favorite kind of weather...
Our days are filled with these beautiful moments, but usually we just don't even see them. We're too busy complaining about the wind to remember that wonderful feeling where you feel, just for a moment, like the hero on the hilltop with the wind whipping at your cape (yeah, ok, I'm probably the only one that feels that way when it's windy). Too often, I get so caught up in what I need to get done or the responsibility that sits on my shoulders, and forget that "men are that they might have joy" (2 Ne 2:25). And then, I think, the Lord makes days like today, just to remind me: He cares.
Those moments are exactly why I try and keep a little booklet with me. I think of it as the same principle of keeping a journal by your bed to write down feelings and thoughts you have when you pray.
ReplyDeleteThis post also reminds me of a thought I have been having recently. I keep looking ahead to what is coming up, thinking that I can't wait to get to that point in my life. Isn't it always like that? Most people try to get to another checkpoint in life, without stopping to appreciate where they have already arrived.
I love those moments. Your not the only one who feels that way on windy days, though usually I spread my arms out and wish I can fly. I'm glad there is someone else out there that enjoys the crisp cold air, it's my favorite! Thank you for this post it brightened my day!
ReplyDeleteYou amaze me with your depth and clarity of thought! I am so glad you take time to find joy in every day things. That is one of the really amazing talents you have always had. Since you were a little boy you have found more joy in ordinary moments than anyone I know. (other then Em maybe) You and your sister brought so much joy and light to our family
ReplyDeleteYour post made me think of the times my brothers and I used to walk home from school in the wind when we were little. When the wind was just right we could unzip our coats and put our hands in our coat pockets and lift our coats over our heads and the wind would act as a sail and pick us up for a few seconds. What pure joy and wonder this would bring to us. Thanks for the moment of new joy this brought.
Such depth of thought and feeling ... from an ENGINEER? Who'da thunk it? But he has a heart as well as a brain. The true engineer has a soul and a mind. That's why the newest, latest techno-gadget also looks and feels just right in your hand.
ReplyDelete