beautiful motivation

The alarm screeched. It begged for my attention like a dog needing a morning walk. It wouldn't receive it.

I was sleeping off a day of travel. Vacations have their costs, and mine left me with a debt of late work. That debt was paid with midnight oil.

After realizing where I was, I began searching for reasons to postpone my return to student life. Sleep beckoned me like a silent siren, and I was powerless.

I was startled awake by a striking revelation. There was one reason to attend class that stood firmly planted against an army of opposition.

Arianne.

I regularly sit next to the reason for this dissonance. She makes the 7:45 am trudge uphill worth every exhausting step. Unfortunately, I have spoken fewer words to her than I had minutes to get ready for class. There weren't many.

"Today will be the day," I thought.

I conspired against the simple "hellos" and awkward smiles and made a resolution to ask her out. I dashed from the apartment with razor burns and a wrinkled shirt and began my march.

I rehearsed some pathetic ice-breaking jokes that could probably be found on a taffy wrapper. I felt fully prepared when I arrived.

Ten minutes passed with no sign of the reason for my attendance. The teacher lectured while my attention was homed on the door. My second revelation of the day was not as exciting. She wasn't coming.

I smiled at the irony of it all.

I imagine that she had the same morning struggle. She woke up to a needy alarm and weighed out her options. Unlike me, her morning experience was not filled with beautifully motivating thoughts.

"Is there a reason for me to go to class today?" She probably thought.

Nope.

Grudges and Grenades

A grudge is like a hand grenade. You shouldn't hold on to it for to long. You could hang on to either for as long as you like, but the consequences are equally as deadly.

I tend to hold on too long.

Forgiveness does not come natural. It is a matter of conditioning. If someone has wronged to us, we hold it against him or her because of the negative experience we now have.

One such occasion has happened to me recently. As many of you may already know, my ex-girlfriend and I broke up in January. She is getting married in August.

The speed of her flight to another man shattered my self-esteem. I often blame her for things like low confidence, bad dating experiences, inclement weather or anything else that I can peg her to.

I cannot let go because of what she did, but I have to.

knowing art

I once ran into my friend as he was leaving the art gallery. He is a construction management major, so this was an odd sight.

"What brought you to the art gallery today?" I asked.

"I'm in FA 100. I had to go," he replied.

"So, what did you think?" I inquired.

"I think it was ridiculous," he said. "These art students don't know what art is."

I was startled. My friend's accusation was not what I was expecting him to say.

 "What do you mean?" I simply had to know.

"They assume all that stuff is art and everything else isn't," he said. "To me, a well done set of cabinets is art." 

I pondered for a while on my friend's claim. Perhaps he is right. Yes, the more obvious arts are beautiful, inspiring and arguably necessary. But what is "art?" Art goes far beyond the bounds of traditional fine art mediums. Creativity can be found in writing, cooking or even welding.

Whenever we create, we are being creative.

We are children of God. We have inherited characteristics from Him just as we inherit characteristics of our mortal parents. If we gain divine attributes from the Great Creator, then we all have a natural ability to create.

Cherish it. 

Not what you were expecting...

I do not like describing my ideal woman. Here is why:

• Describing her would ruin the surprise- If I think about a Christmas present that I want too much then get that exact thing for Christmas, it isn't as exciting.

• It imposes expectations on people- Constantly thinking about an ideal marriage partner may cause me to miss someone who is perfect for me. Though someone does not meet the standards that I have concocted, they may be exactly what I need. Too many expectations will only set people up for failure.

• I am not perfect- I have a hard time creating "list" because I am typically not up to par. I have improvements to make, not expectations.

She does need to be attractive though.

Cath...

This about sums it up...

pet peeves

1.) A girl who goes on numerous dates with you but isn't interested.

2.) When people tell me that they are pronounce "AppalaiSHEAN" mountains, then tell me my pronunciation is wrong. I think I would know how it is pronounced. I live there.

3.) People who are not informed.

4.) Themed dates.

5.) People who get engaged on a rebound.

6.) Country Music.

7.) People who break curfew intentionally and frequently.

8.) Bad musicals.

9.) Indecisiveness.

10.) Girls waiting for missionaries.

11.) "Fauxhawks."

12.) Summer Sales Programs.

13.) Hollister.

14.) Large, pointless trucks.

15.) Any combination of numbers 11, 12, 13 and 14 on the list.

16.) Girls who are attracted to any combination of number 11, 12, 13 and 14 on the list.

17.) A lack of appreciation for art.

18.) Pretentious art snobs.

19.) People who are obnoxious to me when I am out taking pictures.

20.) People who do not read.

21.) People who insist on looking at this blog even after numerous posts have been negatively geared directly towards them.

on my mind

Here are some things that are on my mind:

1.) People are horribly fickle. Loyalty and sincerity are dying. Emotional connections with people can be easily severed in order to move on to something easily accessible.

2.) We always take the path of least resistance. We only want things to be easily handed to us. When it does, we simply say "everything just fell right into place." I don't think God simply gives his children what they want like a parent buying their child a car. Some have everything handed to them on a silver platter. I have to work for what I want.

3.) I'm going to be successful. Why? Out of spite.

4.) Destiny is a fallacy. Destiny insinuates that we have no choice.

5.) There is a reason why love stories are portrayed in movies. Because the odds of living out a Movie-quality love story in real life are worse than the lottery. Stop watching Disney and get real.

6.) Everyone is getting engaged. This especially hurts when your ex-girlfriend is, as well. All these Facebook announcements are a reminder that I get to sit around while the person I loved for the past 2.5 years marries someone else.

7.) My sunday school lesson.