The Love in Loving People

Last night there was an amazing lesson at institute (and my opinion may be considered bias because the teacher is my dad, but it was a really great lesson). There was one point in the discussion in which we talked about "lengthing your stride" and what that means. We came to an agreement that it basically means that you try a little harder, get out of your comfort zone, be a little better. I thought this was such a great concept! Just think, if every person tried to be a little better every day, or every week, month, or even just every year, think of the impact on the world!

That means your coworker, Bucky, starts wearing deodorant; you and your lunch partners buy an extra burger or taco off the dollar menu and give it to a homeless person on your way back to the office; Giselle, the town gossip queen, starts talking positively about people; we all start calling our parents weekly, just to say "hi" and see how they are doing; some of us who don't have our grandparents anymore adopt a grandparent who doesn't have a family.

The list of possibilities goes on and on. The point is, each one of us has little baby steps towards becoming the best we can be. If we all start figuring out what those steps are, and following through with the easy things, I honestly believe the world would be a much better place, people would be happier, healthier, and cleaner. (I mean, the world is already a pretty rad place, and life is pretty delicious; but, there's always room for improvement, right?!)

So, what I propose is that the three people who read my blog try to be a little better for the rest of this year, and they each tell three of their friends to find something they can be a little better at, and then those three people tell three more people....(I know this sounds a lot like "Pay It Forward", but it's not. It's about personal progress, which includes service, which I guess really is like that movie. Oh, well!)

I guess the real difference comes in strengthening relationships with each other. When we start caring about the people around us (and, yes, wearing deodorant shows you care), then we find joy in life and we obtain a hope that the world will continually become a better place. Because I think, in the end, it really is all about the people, not the things.

"There is no hope of joy except in human relations." -Antoine de Saint-Exupery

How to Drink Alone (an msn.com bit)

I fell upon this article written by Tom Chiarella from msn.com's website. He writes on how there is an art to drinking alone and procedes to list the advice. I don't know why I think this is so funny, but it strikes a chord with me. It's like when you see someone at a restaraunt or a movie by themselves and you feel bad; like you should get up and go sit next to him/her but you're not sure if that will embarrass them more, if they even want company, or what not. Maybe there are tips on "How to Eat Alone (at a nice, fancy sit-down restaurant)" or "How to Watch a Movie Alone (at a real theater)". Thanks MSN.com, for keeping it real...

• Don’t use it as a warm-up. It’s a prelude to nothing. Drinking alone must be an event unto itself. It’s never about getting sloppy, or lucky, or even happy. Beginning and end, make it a choice. A gift, not an escape. It’s about raising your awareness, not dulling it. Be neat, small of affect, businesslike.
• Start in the afternoon.
• 2:30 is universally a good time, since the bar will be empty, the bartender busy stocking the coolers, wiping down bottles.
• Forget bar chatter, since it’s about drifting, forgetting, passing time without noticing. Instead, quietly pay attention.
• Drink liquor — whiskey.
• Get a beer back, if you must. Gin is acceptable too, but don’t put anything sweet in it.
• Ignore the television.
• Listen a little. Enjoy the muffled aural measures of a bar waking up. Watch the door or the window instead. Draw connections to the world outside, even as it recedes slightly from perception. Notice the angles of light, the pulse of the traffic, even the evolution of customers who drift in as the day twists down to its nub.
• Read a paper, sure. A book is good too. Crack the spine and lay it flat on the bar. Read, don’t pretend to read.
• Don’t eat. Drinking alone is not about buffalo wings.
• Look up often.
• Jukeboxes are an acceptable diversion, though don’t ever select Cat Stevens when drinking alone.
• If a friend happens in, do not demur. Instead, take it as an irrefutable signal that the meditative event of drinking alone is over. You aren’t alone anymore. Buy him a drink and, after a reasonable juncture, leave. Give him what you came in for. A little solitude, with liquor. There’s no shame in it.

One Thing

If you could only choose one thing to worry about in your entire life (not for the rest of your life, but just in your life) what would it be? If you chose money, you can only worry about money (not global warming, not how your kids will turn out, not whose turn it is to mow the lawn, etc.) The idea is, what's worth worrying about? I've decided for me the only thing worth worrying about is whether or not I'm happy. I know how to be happy, so if I'm not, I'll just get happy right away and have nothing to worry about.

My grandma once had this little poem and I'm not sure if she wrote it or she found it somewhere, but it makes me smile because there are really only two things to worry about:

There Are Only Two Things In Life To Worry About

There are really only two things to worry about;
Either you are healthy or you are sick.
If you are healthy, then there is nothing to worry about.

But, if you are sick there are only two things to worry about,
Either you will get well or you will die.

If you get well, then there is nothing to worry about,
But, if you die, then there are only two things to worry about.

Either you will go to heaven or you will go to hell.
If you go to heaven, then there is nothing to worry about.
But, if you go to hell, you'll be so damn busy shaking hands with old friends that you won't have time to worry!

I love this because really, there is not a whole lot worth the worry. As long as I'm here I'm going to try to do my best, make mistakes along the way (hopefully most will be unintentional!), be happy, and love life; and I believe there's a whole lot to love in this world!

Going! Going! Gahhhhh-REEN!!!

Well, the world might be heating up at a rapid pace, gas should be replaced by water (which I found out recently some have already done; gas companies, however, don't want people to find out that motors have been invented that can run on H2O...youtube it if you're curious!), we're running out of fresh water by the way, and the only trees that will be around in 15 years are those little fake plastic ones. (*disclaimer: I'm not sure how much of this is true by the way!) A couple of months ago, I was assigned the project of researching "Going Green" for ways my office could help save the planet. I'm big on conserving energy and resources for the sake of saving money, improving our living conditions, and so my kids (some day) will have a pretty cool place to live (some day). While surfing the world wide web, bless it, I found all sorts of good-and not so good-stuff. The obvious: carpool, turn off lights and unplug appliances not being used, don't leave the water running when you're brushing your teeth, etc. etc. The odd: sun tan more.  You'll help soak up those UV rays poring in through the abused atmosphere...I may have misinterpreted or read that one wrong.  Hitch hike to work/school/stores/etc. (I may have made that one up too...), and Sheryl Crow's classic-only use one square of toilet paper when you go to the bathroom. To Sheryl Crow, I one up her and say, "Why even use toilet paper then? Honestly, how much is one square gonna do?"  Then I thought of another way we could save water-just don't flush the toilet. This has already been thought of, "If it's brown, flush it down. If it's yellow, let it mellow." Okay, got it. Now, I thought maybe toilet companies will start making smart toilets, like the ones in Japan. We've all heard about the ones that talk to you. Well, this new toilet I'm going to try to invent will flush every third or so push on the flushing handle. Yeah, now reading this, I don't think it sounds as cool as it did in my head when I thought of it earlier this morning.....add this one to the odds!

Disney's "The Parent Trap"

I was eating dinner last night and watching the newer version of "The Parent Trap"; the one with Lindsey Lohan when she was tiny, still red-headed, and freckeled. My favorite Lindsey, if there was one. I love this movie, especially the older one. My mom happens to share this love. It never occurred to me, however, that the story line of the film is somewhat morally wrong. I mean, really, who in their right mind would ever think it okay to split up their twins? Especially if one is staying with the father and the other with the mother? I could understand (maybe) if the twins were split up through adoption, but honestly, where both parents are very wealthy and could easily take care of two kids but decide, "Hey honey, our marriage isn't quite working out. Here, let's split everything 50/50...you take the BMW and I'll take the Lexus...why don't you keep the timeshare in Vail and I'll take the condo in L.A...and oh! perfect, you take one twin and I'll keep the other, but let's never tell them they have a sister!"

Sounds a little screwy to me! I guess there are more crazy family stories in real life, though. I still love these movies. My only other concern is the fact that neither Lindsey Lohan nor Hayley Mills has a twin. I was young when I saw "Parent Trap: the making of the film" with Lindsey Lohan on the Disney Channel and found out she played both roles. I'm almost embarrassed to say I didn't know about Hayley Mills until recently. I guess I just figured that a movie originally made in 1961 wouldn't have the technology to film the trick. In "It Takes Two" we all know the Olsen twins are, in fact, twins.

Well, they sure fooled me! I could have sworn Hayley had a twin Heather or Hannah or Heidi Mills. Oh, that Disney pulled a quick one on me, alright!

Dress Code at the "Rexburg Country Club"

For the fourth of July holiday, my family and I drove up to Idaho to visit friends and family. We planned a jam-fun-packed weekend of activities. First, we went to a lake and boated. Two of my uncles own boats, and they couldn't be more different; exibit A: the Mudlake relatives have a super sleek speed boat in which my uncle performs back flips and serious hang time on the wakeboard and in which the rest of us just try to get up. exibit B: the Bancroft relatives own what we like to call "the boat that qualifies for the White Trash Yacht Club"! This boat is actually amazing. At a top speed of 15 mph, you can really feel a light tug as you are pulled from the back on a giant tube. We set up a picnic table and grill and had a barbeque right there on the lake. Pretty amazing, if you ask me!

The rest of the weekend was full of golf. I asked my uncle if the course we were going to play on the 4th had any dress code (aka, do we need to wear a collared-shirt?) He said (what I thought was jokingly) that there is a tight dress code: tank tops, short shorts, wife-beaters, and flip flops are to be worn. I wore the usual bermuda shorts and a tan shirt with a collar. On about the 15th hole, a young man came through some trees looking for his ball that he thought he had hit from his 18th hole onto our fairway. I thought he was working construction because he was shirtless with raggedy jeans and, yes I don't lie, flip flops!

I guess the dress code at the "Rexburg Country Club" is slightly less strict than other courses!