detour

Pay no attention to blog the behind the curtain

instead, run here. ok, that's all. 

Utter Soakage

It's a reflex really. It's this ingrained habit many can't shake. It drives me nuts, yet if I'm in a "rush", I do it just as much as the next guy despite my lack of appreciation for coming to a sink full of soaking dishes. It's called The Soak and it's existence probably derives from a malformed chromosome in our development. 

It's simple really, want to know how it works?

•Prepare Food.

•Eat Food.

•Put dish in sink with a reasonable amount of water on dirty area.

•Walk away and forget it completely.

It's sad, really, how much this chain of actions reeks of illogical behavior. You see, generally, the dishwasher is within arms reach of the sink, thus making it a natural part of the assembly line of cleanliness. But despite architects best efforts to streamline this activity loved by all, mankind insists on "soaking". And by mankind, I mean mostly men. I go to Lisa's house and it seems as if there is almost this aura penetrating the premises and just being there I am better about putting things right into the dishwasher. But I still can't help think "Is it really worth opening the dishwasher right next to me for one dish? I think it will be better if I wait until there are more dishes and in the meantime scrape off the food and let this soak." I may be right, but I'm most definitely lazy. 

The Soak is not alone in man's attempts to "do work", while still managing to do as little as possible. There is "The Wipe", where one simply gets a wet paper towel and hastily cleans the countertops superficially, while really only making it look merely nice. A true cleaning requires disinfectant apparently. "The Cram", I think some would consider it organizing, but really is throwing all your clothes/boxes/shoes/(insert some material good here) into a closet or drawer only to have to rummage through it later organizing? No, but it's a quick solution to a problem that you can deal with later. Usually all these attempts to clean will suffice until the moment when you realize it is time to really clean. 

These realizations or moods to clean are usually mandated by the foul stench of decomposing food, a visitor you want to impress, or just a general feeling of guilt creeping from your memory banks that sounds an awful lot like mom. 

Sky Rockets in Flight

Driving up to the Sundance Film Festival with some friends, we passed through the Provo canyon and it being winter here, was nicely covered in a layer of snow. It's not exactly a secret, but I have a great love for snow and winter and in admiration for the spectacle of the frozen canyon, I pointed out how cool it all looked with an apparent air of amazement. Soon after I made this observation, my friend Melanie in the front seat turned back and said "Todd, I love how you get excited about the smallest things and the simplest elements of life excite you". Mildly taken aback, I tried to decipher whether this was exactly a compliment or a jab at my "simple mindedness". We got into a discussion about what she meant and we concluded that I am not numbed by the world and I take great joy in finding the amazing in the most menial of things. 

"Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world I feel 

like I can't take it, like my heart's going to cave in"

I recently read an article that talked about how we can "be naked like a baby" and just as happy.  The part I liked most about the article is the section on finding delight. It really captured the element of being a child. They are entranced by the simplest and little things of life. Waking up on Christmas and finding the object of their desiring for weeks preceding that morning wondering how Santa does it. Driving by the airport and watching an airplane take flight into the sky and feeling the roar of the engines. Watching a campfire dance and pop, while putting in sticks and pulling them out to closely examine the burning specimen. Wonderment at the things that are easily explained by drag and lift, flash point of carbon based objects, and your parents staying up late and pretending to be an old man. But alas, I find myself, a 23 year old man (read: 6'3" boy) still intrigued by these things. Just 3 weeks ago i woke up at 4 am wondering if it was time to see what "Santa" brought me and barely managed to fall back asleep.  I get butterflies when the plane starts take off and I look out the window as we incline towards the heavens. And fire, well, I don't think I'll ever get tired of pyrotechnics and the likes thereof. It will always impress me.

"It's a great thing when you realize you still have 

the ability to surprise yourself"

And I think it all comes back to the element of forgiveness and living in the present. People get stuck in the past and the things that happen. Overwhelmed with the perpetual blast of novelty from the world and in our race to learn as much as we can, we are quick to disregard the obvious and familiar in it's "simplicity". Granted life is about phases and progress, it is also important to not forget what first sparked that element of curiosity and interest in us as we developed our cognitive abilities.  Living in the present allows us to fully feel each emotion as it happens and not divide them among past experiences that may cast a bitter taste on what was once a savory piece of our lives.  Not to plagiarize, but through the conditioning of society we start acting like "adults" and follow a pattern, the way others expect us to act. We overly care about the opinion of others and are absent in the moment. We hold die hard grudges and frantically worry about daily tasks and problems. Worst of all, we don't get excited about seeing the snow fall and instead worry about how it will conflict with our plans. Live in the present and make hot chocolate while you relax and watch the snow. Me, I'll find a sled and hit the slopes and make the most of what I have and find the wonder in the moment, even if my face gets cold

"-Oww. Jeez... What was that for?

-It doesn't matter! It's in the past.

-Yeah, but it still hurts

-Oh yes, the past can hurt, but the way I see it, you can either

run from it, or learn from it."

It will still be worth it.