Truth is
a cool autumn day can be
the exact temperature
and same weather wise
as a warm spring day.
Continue readinglearning
The Age of Regret
Before I dive into this post I want to make one thing perfectly clear and that is the fact that I am a fairly contented person. Life is life. I get it. I understand the concept of making choices based on what you are capable of at the moment. Of course, regret is going to come into play as you gain more understanding and perspective. That’s just a natural part of life. But no one should beat themselves up too much with the sometimes heavy bat of regret. Sure, there are things that could have been done better but no one has a time machine DeLorean* so we just have to learn from it and keep moving on by doing better next time. I get it. I get all that. That being said, I must admit recently, I have started to let a couple of my biggest regrets occupy more space in my mind than I normally do. So much space they have moved south to my heart to inflict some wounds. It seems like I have entered the age of regret. In an effort to minimize them to more manageable sizes, I’m going to share them with you.
Continue readingTwo Ways
I wrote a book. A small, tiny book. So, I called it a children’s book. I used a bigger font to meet the minimum page requirement. Initially, because it was a children’s book, I wanted illustrations to accompany it. But, if you know me at all, I am not an artist. Since none of my books have actually made me any money, I finally decided to just go ahead and self-publish it. Only after it was published and I received a copy of it did I have someone from the target audience read it. I insisted on her honest review and after a little coaxing she gave me what I wanted. She did not like the story.
Continue readingA couple more things…
I am an observer by nature. Always watching and processing. Sometimes my processor takes me in the wrong direction. No worries. Just makes life interesting when I jump to wrong conclusions. Sometimes though, I see enough to pick up a pattern. And a few times out of those sometimes, I learn a thing or two. Here are a couple of things I noticed along the way.
Continue readingStory behind the post: The Samson Pill
Maybe you are new to this little blog. Maybe you are just passing through. Maybe you are a faithful reader (there are a couple of you). Whatever the case, welcome! If you are new here, let me tell you about last year’s writing goal: write one continuous story every 5-Saturday month. That may sound like an odd goal so let me explain.
Continue readingLove takes practice
As most things worthwhile in life, love takes practice for most of us. So, do that kind act. Help out a loved one. Show your love today while you can. Continue reading
Friday ramblings: Letting Go
The only baggage you can take from yesterday is a memory. Continue reading
Parents: The Prime Gospel Teachers of Their Children
by Tad. R. Callister
I really like the story he tells at the beginning of Ben Carson. But I have always like those ‘rise above the ashes’ type of stories. What kind of world would we live in if parents took the responsibility to teach their children values?
Young Women Camp 2013
This is normally the post I use to describe my week at Young Women camp. I describe the lessons I learned, the problems I encountered, and my goal to be a better leader.
Yes, it was a good week. Yes, there were problems encountered but they worked out. The problems always work themselves out. And yes, there is always room for improvement.
We had a moose wander into camp. Actually, he probably was hovering around our camp all week but we just saw him once. Well, once in daylight and once at night. They are kind of creepy when you come across them at night and all you can see is their eyes reflecting in the moonlight.
For this post, I want to focus on one lesson I learned this past week. It happened Wednesday during the hike. Between my asthma and vertigo my goal was to not collapse or lose my balance and fall. And I managed to succeed at both. Yay me!
I didn’t even fall during the off-road stretch where I really had to pay attention to each step I took. Proud to say, I stumbled but I never went down.
We were just finishing the off-road, cross-country portion of the hike and had to descend the little hill. Flags marked our path we needed to follow. Since I was so slow I watched others hike down the hill following the marked path. Two leaders stood at the bottom to help the hikers make it to the road. But from where I stood, I thought I could see an easier route.
Despite the flags and the other hikers’ success, I decided to veer to the right.
The vigilant leaders who waited at the bottom called to me and urged me to follow the marked route. I listened.
When I approached them they helped me down a one-foot drop to get to the road. “Oh, geez,” I complained. “That’s a bit of a drop.” One just nodded her head in agreement.
I joined the other hikers and waited for everyone to catch up. While I did so, I looked down the road. If I had continued on my easier route on top of the hill I would have come to a five to six-foot drop to the road. With no help to get down.
Isn’t that like life? We have markers and flags showing us the route. We also have others going before us leading the way. And there are those waiting to help us through our tough times. Yet, we may think we see an easier way – a better route.
We don’t always have the full picture from where we stand. We don’t need to. There are plenty of gifts to help us to succeed. We are meant to win – not to lose.
And let me tell you, I’m very glad I listened that day. I hope I listen just as well in life.
No Regrets!
“No regrets!” that’s the naive mantra of youth. At one time in my life, more than a decade ago, it was my motto, also. To live a life with no regret is synonymous with living life to the fullest and always making the right choice. Or, at least, being content with the decisions you make. Regret means to “feel sorry for something” (Word dictionary). The ingenuous of youth looks at this definition and thinks, “It’s wrong to feel sorrow.”
To live a life with no regrets is only possible in one of two ways:
One, you always make the right choice. You never, ever make a wrong decision. This is technically impossible. You will make the wrong choice from time to time. If you’re foolhardy enough to never second guess yourself, well, bully for you! But that doesn’t mean you choose wisely in every decision that you make.
Two, you never learn better. You remain locked in a state of immaturity that never lets you gain wisdom. I wish there was a better way to learn than by trial and error. But sometimes, there isn’t. Some things you do will work. Some won’t. It’s a part of life. But to never regret or feel sorrow for making a wrong decision, that implies a prideful will too stubborn to see error. Personally, I don’t want to be that kind of person.
I am going to continue to make mistakes. Some I will recognize instantly and others other time. In both cases I may feel the pangs of regret. But that’s okay because it shows I’m growing and getting wiser. The youth can keep their infallibility and boldly declare, “No regrets!” As for me, I prefer the wisdom that comes from penitence.
ck's days 