"Living In The Moment"

I absolutely love Jason Mraz.  I stumbled across across one of his new songs "Living in the Moment" while listening this playlist on Songza and I immediately pressed the thumbs up button, googled the lyrics to this song, and added the song on Spotify. (Random tangent: It's pretty ridiculous just how many different ways it is to listen to music now.  You'd think between my CD's, car radio, iTunes, Pandora, last.fm, Grooveshark, Youtube, Songza, Spotify,  and my iPhone which has access to most of these music mediums, I'd have enough ways to listen to any song I want whenever I want.  And you'd probably be right.  But should it really take so many different avenues to get music?  I think it's slightly ridiculous, but I've pretty much almost always got at least one of them playing. I may be slightly addicted. I wonder if that's healthy?  But I digress.) Just ask my mother, this song is exactly what I need right now.  This past month have been absolutely insane and I have a feeling the next few months are going to be even crazier.  Now most of the madness has actually been very positive and I am so grateful for the opportunities that have been presented in my life right now.  But as good as they have been, they have also been stressful and I've been feeling really anxious, which I know is not healthy.  I know that I need to "run and hide my crazy and start acting like a lady" and "I wish I could be just a little less dramatic" (Miranda Lambert, "Mama's Broken Heart").  This song helps me to be a little less crazy and dramatic.  Jason Mraz is a genius, there isn't a song of his that I have heard that I haven't loved.  This song is like a grown up version of "Hakuna Mata"  which is perfect because I love that song but I'm not so good at having "no worries for the rest of my days."  But I'm going to try to be better at living in the moment with no worries.

Enjoy!

Video:

Lyrics:

If this life is one act 

Why do we lay all these traps 

We put 'em right in our path 

When we just wanna be free 

I will not waste my days 

Making up all kinds of ways 

To worry about all things 

That will not happen to me 

So I just let go of what I know I don't know 

And I know I'll only do this by 

Living in the moment 

Living my life 

Easy and breezy 

With peace in my mind 

With peace in my heart 

Peace in my soul 

Wherever I'm going, I'm already home 

Living in the moment 

I'm letting myself off the hook for things I've done 

I let my past go past 

And now I'm having more fun 

I'm letting go of the thoughts 

That do not make me strong 

And I believe this way can be the same for everyone 

And if I fall asleep 

I know you'll be the one who'll always remind me 

To live in the moment 

To live my life 

Easy and breezy 

With peace in my mind 

With peace in my heart 

With peace in my soul 

Wherever I'm going, I'm already home 

I can't walk through life facing backwards 

I have tried 

I tried more than once to just make sure 

And I was denied the future I'd been searching for 

But I spun around and searched no more 

By living in the moment 

Living my life 

Easy and breezy 

With peace in my mind 

With peace in my heart 

With peace in my soul 

Wherever I'm going, I'm already home 

I'm living in the moment 

I'm living my life 

Just taking it easy 

With peace in my mind 

I got peace in my heart 

I got peace in my soul 

Oh, wherever I'm going, I'm already home 

I'm living in the moment 

I'm living my life 

Oh, easy and breezy 

With peace in my mind 

I got peace in my heart 

I got peace in my soul 

Oh, wherever I'm going, I'm already home 

I'm living in the moment

New Experiences

"A person who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." - Albert Einstein

Life is filled with new experiences. That's what life is all about.  Life is a series of experiences, occurring day after day.

"With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts." -  Eleanor Roosevelt

These past few weeks I've had a series of new experiences happen in my life.  Some of those experiences have been stressful and overwhelming.

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." - C. S. Lewis

Some of those experiences have been sweet, happy experiences.  I guess it's because good always comes with bad and vice versa.  That's sort of what Lehi said, right?

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney

One of the new experiences is sending Mason off on his mission.  I miss him, but I am seeing the blessings that are coming from having a missionary in the family.

"Do one thing everyday that scares you." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Another new experience for me lately has been learning to accept help from family when I need it.  

"A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions." - Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

I feel like I can officially be pronounced an adult.  I have done Jury duty.  That experience won't have to be repeated for at least two years.

"Experience is one thing you can't get for nothing." - Oscar Wilde

Sometimes new experiences are experiences that you have hoped and prayed for all of your life and have always seemed just out of reach.  Then out of no where you get to have the experience for yourself.

"Nothing ever becomes real till it's experienced." - John Keates

There are experiences that you never thought you'd experience, never wanted to experience, and that you wouldn't ever want to experience again. 

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt 

New experiences are terrifying because you never know what they will be like until you have actually experienced them.

“A new experience can be extremely pleasurable, or extremely irritating, or somewhere in between, and you never know until you try it out.” ― Lemony Snicket, The Blank Book

 Experiences are more valuable then things.  Always.

"Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good." - Doctrine and Covenants 122:7

What Has Gotten Me Through The Past Few Weeks Since Spring Break

1. My parents.  I'm pretty sure I've been on the phone with them a ton the past few weeks.

2. This quote from my Girls State days:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - Nelson Mandela

3. "I Have Confidence" from The Sound of Music. Yeah I've been playing this song over and over.

"I have confidence in confidence alone. 

Besides what you see I have confidence in me."

 

Now I'm just hoping to get through the next two weeks.  Two weeks.  I can do it.  

Favorite Quote

Quotes

For reasons usually unknown, some people are born with physical limitations. Specific parts of the body may be abnormal. Regulatory systems may be out of balance. And all of our bodies are subject to disease and death. Nevertheless, the gift of a physical body is priceless. Without it, we cannot attain a fulness of joy. ¹⁸

A perfect body is not required to achieve a divine destiny. In fact, some of the sweetest spirits are housed in frail frames. Great spiritual strength is often developed by those with physical challenges precisely because they are challenged. Such individuals are entitled to all the blessings that God has in store for His faithful and obedient children. ^{19 _ Elder Russel M. Nelson}

Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.

Hippocrates 

Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than suffering itself.  And no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dream.

-- Paulo Coelho

Creativity According To People Who Are A Lot Smarter Than Me

I don't know if any of you have started to notice, but I'm fascinated by creativity.  I'm fascinated by what people think creativity is, how people define creativity, what is recognized as "creative", how creativity affects our experience in life, how to develop creativity, pretty much anything about creativity.  I've found some fascinating videos on creativity.

The first one is by a man named Larry Lessig and his video is on Laws That Choke Creativity | Video on TED.com.  This guy is fascinated by the idea of copyright and how it works in this internet age where kids, teenagers, young adults, and other creative minds have access to so many videos, pictures, music and editing and producing devices where they can make their own videos out of stuff that other people have already used, just make it their own.  He discusses how laws need to change to allow this to happen in a legal manner that could also benefit the people who originally come up with the material.  Highly recommend watching this one.

The next video I found was by Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity | Video on TED.com.  Elizabeth Gilbert is the woman who wrote "Eat, Pray, Love" which is a good book - if you skip the "love" part.  But I really found her talk fascinating because she discussed how since early times creative people have given the credit of their creativity to "geniuses" or "gods" of some sort or another.  They always knew the creativity didn't come from them.  Only fairly recently (think around the time period of the renaissance) did people start to give the credit to themselves.  All through out her talk I just wanted to shout out to her and say "You've got so much truth about creativity and inspiration, but if I could just explain to you one or two more things that I have learned about creativity, you would understand that it really is God who you need to thank for creativity and how He feels about creativity."  More on that later.  Seriously though, an amazing video.

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity | Video on TED.com And Ken Robinson makes a very good argument that schools kill creativity.  He's hilarious and I completely agree with him.  I can't remember if it was in this one or another video I watched with him, but he gave me one of my new favorite quotes.  "Some people say that college begins in Kindergarten.  No it doesn't! Kindergarten begins in Kindergarten!"

This video Amy Tan on creativity | Video on TED.com was an interesting one, but I didn't necessarily agree with her.  She uses creativity to handle tragedy in her life - which is great.  But she makes the argument that bad things happen to good people because life is random, which made me just want to go up to her and be like "Let me explain to you what I have learned about why bad things happen to good people."  Especially since the day after I watched this video my institute class was all about why bad things happen to good people.  Coincidence?  I think not.

This article "Happiness, Your Heritage" a message on creativity by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf is the one that I wish I could've shared with Elizabeth Gilbert.  It is still my all time favorite message on creativity.

Now that I've been inspired I'm going to go try and create!  What will I create?  I'm not sure yet, but I will try to go out and create something new.

Dear Zombies Occupying Wall Street:

I can't put my thoughts on the zombies occupying wall street (and salt lake as of today) any better than the Beatles did in their song "Revolution". So here's the lyrics (which I don't own.)

You say you want a revolution

Well you know

We all want to change the world

You tell me that its evolution

Well you know

We all want to change the world

*********

You say you got a real solution

We all want to see the plan

You ask me for a contribution

Well you know

We're all doing what we can

*********

(for the tea party, just for fun)

You say you'll change the constitution

Well you know

We'd all love to change your head

*********

Don't you know it's gonna be alright

Basically I don't think zombie occupation is going to help anything.  I don't even think it's addressing the real problem. In the words of Forest Gump:

That's all I have to say about that.

Quotes

• "Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute." - Josh Billings
• "You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don't make money your goal.  Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can't take their eyes off you." - Maya Angelou
• "Forgive everyone for everything" - Anonymous
• "The future belongs to those of us who are still willing to get our hands dirty." - Anonymous
• "It's not that I'm smart, I just stay with problems longer." - Albert Einstein
• "Eighty percent of success is just showing up." - Woody Allen
• "You can never get enough of what you don't really need." - Eric Hoffer
• "Discipline is just choosing between what you want now and what you want most." - Unknown Author

Some new favorite quotes

"the supreme happiness of life is in the conviction that we are loved: loved for ourselves or rather, in spite of ourselves." - victor Hugo

"it does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop." - confucius

"if you judge people, you have no time to love them." - mother Teresa

"charity...manifests itself when we are tolerant of others and lenient toward their actions...forgives...is patient...impels us to be sympathetic, compassionate, and merciful, not only in times of sickness and affliction and distress but also in times of weakness or error on the part of others... It is having patience with someone who has let us down. It is resisting the impulse to become offended easily. It is accepting people as they truly are." - president Thomas s. Monson

Creativity

I've been listening to this every morning as I get ready for classes and it has got me thinking about creativity.  I have never really thought of myself as a creative person, as a matter of fact I've pretty much always pictured myself as an epic failure at anything remotely creative. 

I play the piano and I play beautifully when it's just for myself, but I epically fail at it whenever anyone else listens (which totally makes it sound like I'm lying about the fact that I can play at all, but I really can, I just freeze up whenever anyone else is around.) But I enjoy playing for myself, and I will play for others when called upon. 

I have never been one for art.  First graders draw better than me.  I'm still learning to color in the lines.  My 4th grade teacher even sat down and gave me a "private lesson on how to color in the lines" once.  Yeah.  I'm that good.

I loved to sew clothes and cross stitch when I was younger.  I fancied myself a little pioneer.  I wasn't very good, but I enjoyed it.  I kind of want to start sewing up again.  I made a quilt this summer and I semi-recently bought some new patterns for clothes.

I love writing/storytelling but again, I'm not super good at it.  If I try to hand write anything, no one else can read it (handwriting was the one thing that was consistently on my report card through out elementary school that I needed to improve on, K-6th grade) and I have this nasty tendency to completely ignore/make-up my own spellings/words/grammar (thank goodness for computers/spell check).  And I don't really like other people reading my writing (that's the hardest part about this blog, I'm putting it out there for anyone to read and judge) because I don't like people correcting/editing/judging my work (and therefore me.  I'm super logical like that.  If anyone tells me I spelled a word wrong I think that means they hate me) but I'm getting better at it.  And I'm really bad at finishing my writing (I'm really good at starting my writing though!) But I enjoy writing lots of different things, stories, poems, thoughts, quotes, journal entries, and blog posts.

I love to cook and I also love to eat.  I'm still a slow cooker (wait, that's not what I meant to say) It takes me a long time to make a meal (I pretty much have to double preparation times on most meals) and I make a lot of mistakes but I really enjoy it anyway.  Eating has always rocked my socks.  I'm not really sure if eating is creative though...

I blog (no really?) which I suppose is somewhat creative, as is journaling. 

I'm not really creative in any other way though.  And I'm not great at the creative projects I do pursue.  But through listening to these thoughts on creativity I'm learning that it's not really about being the best or most creative at whatever creative pursuits you do.  It's about enjoying the process of creating and knowing that it was through your effort that something new was made, no matter the quality.  I'm learning to just enjoy creating no matter the quality of the end result.  As long as I'm enjoying it, nothing else matters. 

To Do List:

•  Take Test
• Go to class
• Sing to the elderly
• Speak in Shakespearean/Jane Austen English
• Go to the library
• Get on facebook, like a million times
• Work on a little homework
• Blog
• Eat chocolate
• Day Dream
• Read text books
• Finish assignments
• Write a lesson plan
• Go to the gym
• Go visiting teaching
• Clean
• Go to Relief Society Activity
• Accentuate the Positive
• Count Blessings
• Pray
• Smile

"Let’s be honest; it’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia—even during times of stress and fatigue. Because they unnecessarily complicate their lives, they often feel increased frustration, diminished joy, and too little sense of meaning in their lives." - President Dieter F. Uchtdorf (to read the rest of the article go here.

Quote of The Day

Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.


Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955), (attributed)

Having it all and Hanging out and Other lessons learned in school

So my classes have kinda got me thinking lately.  It's weird, I know, but I guess that's what college is supposed to do, make you think.  First I came across this loverly quote in my parenting text book (yes I am taking a parenting class, no I am not in college just for my MRS degree I actually have plans for a very meaningful job and this class just happens to be a requirement to get that job!)  :)

"We are a generation of young women raise to believe we can do it all. We also need the self-displine and wisdom to understand we can't do it all right now." - Jennifer Regen Bisbee

I think that is so true.  Yes we are able to do whatever to do whatever we want to do.  But we can't do everything right now and all at the same time.  The hard part is deciding what is the most important thing to do first and balancing everything you want and need to do.

In my institute class we were discussing the difference between "hanging out" and "dating" like it is talked about in this amazing article.  A lot of the guys (notice the usage of the word guys)  got very defensive as all of the girls in the room talked about how we want to go on dates not just hang out.  It was very interesting because this had been on my mind for a little while now.  I just don't know how to make it any more clear to the guys and men out there that we actually want to go out on dates and not just hang out.  Elder Oaks talks about "lock[ing] the pantry and bolt[ing] the front door [and] . . . hang[ing] up a sign, 'Will open for individual dates,'"

Well boys, guys, and men, my door is locked and there is a sign on my door.

Now dates don't need to be expensive or a big deal.  Anything that lets you have a chance to get to know the other person is a good date (ie not a movie).  And the great thing about dates is that they have a start and end time. 

But other than that, we girls aren't very picky, we just want real inexpensive dates that let us get to know you and have a start and end time.  That's all.

Then I was reading one of my textbooks about early childhood development and it was talking about how early childhood is from the ages of 0-8.  I found that rather interesting.  What happens to LDS boys and girls when they turn 8?  They are baptised.  We believe that they are then old enough and have learned enough to know basic right from wrong and to start making some of their own choices.  We believe that before the age of 8 children are learning right from wrong.  It was interesting reading about how important learning up to the age of 8 is in a secular world.  It made me think, "Hmm, I wonder if Joseph Smith was an Early Childhood Development major and realized how kids view the world before the age of 8?"  I don't think he did.  I believe that it was inspired revelation to a prophet of God from a God who is an Early Childhood Development major, who would realize the learning that takes place at such a young age.

Then I was reading in my parenting textbook about the three styles of parenting, Authoritarian, Authoritative, and Permissive (Authoritative is the good one.)  I believe that I have Heavenly Parents, so I applied that to what I was learning and thought to myself, "Is Heavenly Father Authoritarian, Authoritative, and Permissive?"  Now of course the answer to this is "the gospel according to Kelsi" but the conclusion I came to is that He has to be Authoritative.  Think about it.  He isn't authoritarian because he gave us our agency, our ability to choose.  He doesn't force us to do anything.  And He explains why He wants us to do things (or why He doesn't want us to do things.)  But He isn't permissive either.  While we have the ability to make choices, we do not have the ability to choose the consequences, and He let's us know what the consequences are.  He is an authoritative parent.  He sets down clear guidlines of what He would have us do, He explains the "why?" behind most of it, and He keeps an honest open relationship with us (if we choose to accept that relationship and put forth the effort required.)  He truely cares about us and if we slow down long enough to listen, He will let us know that.

Anyway, that's my long ramble of the night of what I've been paying to learn in college.  I hope I didn't bore you too much.  :)

Taylor Swift and Jane Austen

Ok let's be honest, I'm a super girly-girl. 

Yep, I'm that girl who thinks that every Taylor Swift song describes her life.

I secretly wish I was Elizabeth Bennett and I wonder when my "Mr. Darcy" is going to come.

I love Chick Flicks.  (Even though I thought Letter's to Juliet was a little over the top)

One of my all time favorite quotes is "Next to being married, a girl likes to be crossed in love a little now and then."

I'm kind of a hopeless romantic.

One of my all time favorite General Conference articles is this one. 

I'm a huge fan of ice cream.

I also love chocolate.

I also love  food in general (you know, with the exception of most fruits, some dairy, and almost all drinks besides water.  But really I'm not picky.)

I love the color pink, like alot.

But that's really who I am, like it or not, right or wrong.

Quote:

"The spirit of giving gifts has been present in the mind of each Christian as he or she commemorates the Christmas season. Our Heavenly Father gave to us His Son, Jesus Christ. That precious Son gave to us His life, the Atonement, and victory over the grave.

"What will you and I give for Christmas this year? Let us in our lives give to our Lord and Savior the gift of gratitude by living His teachings and following in His footsteps. It was said of Him that He 'went about doing good.' As we do likewise, the Christmas spirit will be ours." - Thomas S. Monson