Deep Thought Thursday

The headline read "Train Vs. Pedestrian"

Sounds to me almost like a fight that you can't buy tickets to.  It also sounds ridiculous.  It was not train vs pedestrian.  Perhaps the headline should read "Pedestrian vs. Pedestrian" for those final moments must have been a very intense battle. 

I don't think anybody really wants to die.  I bet those last moments may have had many tinges of regret. 

I have thought about this all week because on my daily walk with coworkers there were just short of a dozen community service vehicles on scene to deal with this incident.  I saw the cop with the drone who had found what was left of the body.  I then saw the police and fire personal walking and searching and then huddling around what was probably the spot.  I cannot imagine and do not want to know what that mass looked like. The haunting image ingrained in those service people's minds now, an addition to all the trauma they deal with daily.

A quick out for that man is now on the memory of so many.  That quick out also caused havoc for travelers for most of that day.  It's almost aggravating to think about that stuff.  We say things like, "Why didn't he just pick a different place?," or "Didn't he think of all this after stuff?"  Nope, he definitely wasn't thinking about those things.  Those irrational last thoughts were probably pretty heavy.  I don't want to know them either.  I wish somebody could have changed his mind.  My sympathy even for a stranger is strong and in those moments hoping it wasn't one of "ours."

Last year a similar disruption in travel was on the busy thoroughfare between here and Salt Lake City.  I thought the same thoughts: "Why didn't he chose a different way, a way that wouldn't have made the morning commute so difficult for so many?"  Those thoughts came to a screaming halt when I discovered who it was, a former student.  The demons he carried strong too, and I only know a few of them. 

I hate thinking, "Is it one of ours?" after every incident like this.  If only the love and support of an army of people could help win this battle.  The one that seems so impossible at times.

Train vs. Pedestrian.

Wild Wednesday...

Wednesday was a whirlwind.

Crazy, busy, day.

I lifted weights, I ran, I taught, I laughed, I cried, I coached, I lost, I made a few players angry, I felt like quitting my second gig,  I ate a delicious salad, I got to know the youth of my church better, I snuggled not near enough with my littles, I saw my husband for about ten minutes total, I read two Pinkalicious books, I slept.

Whirlwind Wednesday. I’m thankful it’s now a new day.

To Be Or Not To Be...

A soda drinker?

Recently, I made a big change. I gave up soda. Okay, so I am on my way to being soda free. I have only had one soda since the 6th of January. Last Friday, I thought caffeine withdrawal may kill me. I felt like fainting and I was in charge of driving half of my basketball team from Salt Lake City to Provo. So, I had one at the glamorous McDonald’s stop. Again, I am about progression not perfection and I won’t be without soda always. I may drink it while out to eat or when visiting with friends or on special occasions but I am doing it. It isn’t easy, especially because I am tired all the time and I also have been sick for over a week. I’m still waiting for the whole “I can feel a difference and I feel better,” but I haven’t noticed yet thanks to my gross cold.

Anything you have chosen not to be lately?

Meter Monday

Here is a little poem I wrote today....it's Haiku actually....about the NCAA Football Championship between LSU and Clemson:

Championship game
The Tigers versus tigers
Purple or Orange?

And a little one I just came up with about a friend from Louisiana who was showing some serious LSU pride today:

It was a blur of purple and gold
sequined jacket and golden shoes almost blinding.
I thought you just needed to sparkle on the outside
because I knew you weren't really feeling sparkly on the inside.
But it was more than that today:
It's passion
It's rivalry
It's football
It's home.
May today be filled with shiny sparkle
just like you
walking poetry from head to toe.
Geaux Tigers!!!

Spiritual Thoughts...yes and no

 Sunday on this here blog is set aside for spiritual thoughts. This is a concept that works for all aspects of life:

Read that a few times and let it sink in.

We get to choose most things in our lives. In fact, life is basically a bunch of choices.

Now, I am not saying that things that happen to you are always based on choice. No, you do not choose to have depression. And you certainly didn’t choose to have your house start on fire last year(unless of course you did something careless like leave something on the stove or were playing with matches on the bedroom floor. Then, yes, in a way, you did choose for your house to burn down)

But you do get to choose how to react to each and every situation you find yourself in.

Do you choose to seek get help when you are facing mental health issues? Did you choose to buy fire insurance?

You, my friend, have a lot more control in your life than you think. Do not sit there and just be acted upon. Wake up and choose.

Now, I do like to say choose joy a lot. It is one of my mantras. Part of this has to do with your level of gratitude. Science has proven this lately. There is a study that proves those who write down three things daily that they are grateful for have lower levels of depression. In fact, when we are grateful, our brains get wired to look for more and more things that are going well in our lives. We actually get more grateful as we show gratitude. What?

To me that is something divine. It is a blessing from heaven and a caring Heavenly Father. It makes sense to me that He will bless me more as I am more and more aware of what He already blesses me with. It kinda almost hinges on that whole concept of eternity to me.  It makes sense to my brain.

If you don’t believe this, try it. Make a few minutes each day this week and  write down three things everyday that you are thankful for or that are going well in your life. I do this often in my journal and it really has made my outlook better. I also notice more and more things that are good in my life.

If you do take this little challenge, come back here and report how it went in the comments next Sunday. I triple dog dare you!