Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park has been on my bucket list several years. I thought it would be many years yet before I made it there, but I was blessed to get to go this past June as part of Medmarc's annual Defense Panel meeting. Other than meeting a lot of amazingly awesome attorneys (they do exist!), I had the chance to get out into the park a bit. Here are just a few snapshots . . .

The trees of the forest.

Yosemite Falls is the highest measured waterfall in North America. A woman who grew up near the area told me that because of the abnormally high level of rain this Spring, the falls were particularly spectacular.

This place has a spiritual-like peace and reverance. My normally hard-edged boss said, "And they say this happened by accident." I reponded, "I don't buy it."

Looking across the valley, the presence of Native American spirit was almost palpable. It also reminded me of Lehi's words to his son to be "like unto this valley, firm and steadfast and immovable...."

The giant sequoia trees are stunning. Standing under them feels a little like being at Disneyland--too good to be true. :)

Duck: The Annual Gathering of LDS Singletons on the East Coast

Imagine hundreds of LDS singles renting dozens of beach houses near a small beach town in North Carolina for a weekend of fun and flirtation. Sounds like a Mormon spring-break, huh. Well it is. The annual gathering of hundreds of Mormon singles near Duck--a beach town just north of Kitty Hawk--started with a group of singles who decided to rent a few beach houses on Memorial Day weekend and has since grown exponentially to be an annual, non-church sanctioned singles conference.

Here's what happens if you are an eligible singleton: first, in March you'll start to receive emails and inquiries from single friends as to whether you are going to "Duck" this year. If you are over 28 your first answer will be no. "I'm too old for that," you'll say, although what you're really implying is that you're too mature. You'll feel a brief sense of superiority that leaves before you hardly realize it's there and then you'll forget about it--for a time. Over the next couple of weeks more inquiries come and an unconscious pressure starts to mount. "So and so is going. And so and so too. Really? Hmm." Your resolve not to go starts to wain under the mounting social pressure. Then you receive a personal invite from a friend to join her in a house she is putting together with super cool people and really wants you to join. Before you know it, you've changed your mind and have said you'll go. You tell yourself that you can back out later if you want, but the momentum has shifted and suddenly you become one of the people trying to urge othersto come. It's a slippery slope.

Anyway, that's what happened with me this year. I wasn't going to go, but anyone who knows Jill knows she can be very persuasive. We ended up in a house with 15 other super cool people and it turned out to be a blast. I didn't go to the Saturday group beach scene, acoustic night, the New York house, or any other house parties, and spent most of of the time relaxing, reading, taking walks, and chatting with old and new friends. In short, I made it what I wanted it to be and had a great time.

Cooking breakfast.

Solitude: The Very Essence of Leadership

A few years ago, the title of a chapter in President Hinckley's biography caught my attention: "The Loneliness of Leadership." A similar principle was articulately expressed in a lecture given at West Point in October 2010. (Click here.) It's well worth your time.  I promise. 

Christians & The Jon Stewart Rally

I have heard more than one conservative commentator make the statement that you cannot be on the left side of the political spectrum and be a true Christian. I think that is nonsense. Why should a person's views on how to handle issues such as education, immigration, healthcare, the environment, the economy, foreign policy, etc. have anything to do with whether or not he or she chooses to believe in and follow Jesus Christ? In other words, I believe good and faithful individuals on both sides of the political spectrum can be found in every religion, including Christianity and even (gasp) Mormonism.

That being said, I had an experience at Jon Stewart's rally a few days ago that brought home the reality that on a macro scale, Christians and conservatism do go culturally hand in hand. The former SNL character, Father Guido, offered a pseudo prayer in which he asked God to let the crowd know which religion was the "right one." He said he would list the various religions and asked God to give some sort of sign when he got to the right one. He started off by naming specific Christian sects--Roman Catholic, Methodist, etc.--and the few members of those respective religions cheered. Then he decided he needed be more general and exclaimed, "Christian!" after which there was silence. Nothing . . . just an awkward quietness. A little surprised, Father Guido continued on the rest of the major religions: "Judiasm!" Cheer. "Islam!" Cheer. "Hindu!" Cheer. And more.

I've puzzled on that silence and why it occurred. Why did every other general religious group feel safe to identify itself as such, save the Christians? I believe the lack of cheers illustrates the general perception that to be a Christian is to be a conservative. I mean let's be honest, this rally was a liberal backlash to Glenn Beck's conservative rally a few months ago. To out yourself as a Christian there would be outing yourself in hostile territory. (Of course, I realize you could also argue that Christian sects identify themselves with their respective sect as opposed to the larger body of Christ, but that is an entirely different issue for another day.)

 

 

I confess I left the rally a bit disappointed that as a Christian I did not feel I could truly be myself there. The sad thing is I'm not sure I would have felt I could truly be myself at Glenn Beck's rally either. So does where does that leave me? Rallyless, I guess--that is until I hold one of my own. :)

The Key to Happiness and Goodness

I agree 100% with everything Dennis Prager says in this 5 minute course via Prager University on "The Key to Happiness and Goodness." Without a doubt, the happiest times for me have been the periods in which I was the most grateful.

For example, for months after returning home from my mission I found great joy and pleasure in little things that I now take for granted, such as being able to take a nap, being able to call home or friends at any time, being able to listen to music other than hymns and cheesy EFI tunes, being able to read whatever I want, and just being able to go places and do things by myself. I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture.

I also experienced a heightened sense of happiness during the first 6 months after getting my first professional job. After living below the poverty line for over a decade and after months of unemployment, the gratitude I felt at having income and being able to buy something I actually wanted (as opposed to just what was needed to survive) was exhilarating.

That being said, I get frustrated that I too frequently forget about the power of gratitude and fail to incorporate it more into life. That's where I need help--in (1) remembering the power and importance of gratitude and (2) applying it into every day life. Of course, daily prayers are perhaps the most obvious venue. I heard that Oprah suggested people keep a gratitude journal. Good idea.

I'd be interested to know if any of you have any ideas regarding what can be done to be more grateful. What do you do to stay grateful?

People Are(nt) the Worst

There are days in which I deal with people and have attitude that, "People are the worst!" (Mom and Jen, I know you understand.)

Then there are days in which people do stuff like this and I think, "I love people! People are awesome."

Thanks to this man I feel somewhat vindicated for the costs I incurred in Madrid, Spain due to the week I spent there without any luggage. I spent 4 months trying to get reimbursed for those costs--which they initially said they would cover--to no avail.

Reston Runners

When I am old, rich and bored with life I'm going to start a womens community exercise group like the "Reston Runners" group I've been a part of the past 6 weeks. Imagine four hundred women of all different ages, shapes and sizes, joining together on a weekly basis to run, walk, or run/walk (that would be me) and you'll get a glimpse of the "Reston Runners" program. It's like a giant Relief Society gathering--only you feel less guilty if you don't go--and it's pretty dang awesome.

Oh and you get another ill-fitting t-shirt to add to the collection of t-shirts you never wear, but can't let go of because of an irrational emotional attachment.