Good, Better & Best

Have you ever had that feeling? The feeling that you were doing something that was definitely worthwhile, but you knew that you could be doing something better? Because I have. I have it all the time.
We live in a world where everything is so advanced and distractions are just around the corner. (My dad gives me this talk many times) And sometimes, the distractions aren't necessarily bad, such as texting or listening to music on the couch, but there are definitely better things we could be doing. ("Like emptying the dishwasher," says my mother, who's always got something for you to work on ;) But as much fun as texting your friends is, or seeing what's hot on the radio, it's definitely not the best thing we could be doing.

Whenever I get this talk from my dad, I always stop what I'm doing and ask myself, "What are some of the best things I could be doing?" Sometimes I can come up with some, and sometimes I can come up with a lot. Here's a list of the few of the things that come up first when I think of the best things we could be doing:

1. Read the scriptures! (Better yet, study and mark them with little notes on your thoughts)
2. Find something around the house that needs getting done, and do it!
3. Help your mom with dinner (I've been told she loves that)
4. Work on improving your talents
5. Work on your eagle (. . . Don't worry it'll be done before Valentines day!)
6. Call your friends and go do something! (If you didn't like all the previous ones)
7. Use your imagination! Create another world! (See previous blog post "My little world")

And there are definitely many more things you could be investing your time in. Now I know I'm not the best example at this, but I'm working on it!

D&C 58:26-27

"For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore, he recieveth no reward. Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and bring to pass much righteousness." I also think that the verse after 27 is significant. It says,

D&C 58:28

"For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise loose their reward."

So remember, there are good things, and believe me, there are a lot of them! There are better things, which are still good, but they're not the best things. And the best things are the things that we want to be spending most of our time doing.

Oh, by the way, if you ever see me doing something that looks like it's wasting time, just slap me and say, "Trevor. Good better and best!" (. . . Ok don't really slap me. Just remind me :)

Somewhere In Between

You know those days when you say to yourself, "Man, I have every right to be happy right now, so why aren't I?!" This is one of those days. For me anyways, hopefully not for you ;) Don't ask me why, cause I'm not completely sure. I'm still trying to figure out myself. Questions like, "Why do I have no patience for this kind of thing?" and, "Why is this subject always on my mind?" Many times it's frustrating, and leads to a state of mind that I hate living inside of. Yeah, I'm a confusing kid. But trust me, I try not to be! I try to be as simple as I can so that people can understand me. Maybe it's on my journey to let everybody else see what I am, that I'm lost about myself. It's like one of those one-way glass windows. Everybody can look through and see me, but when I stare back, all I see is dark shaded glass. So today, I'm somewhere in between. In between emotions. Trapped between two conflicting things happening in my life. So how am I feeling about all of this?

Mood of the day: Unknown

Messed Up

Alright, who here that's reading this loves to sleep?! Woo! Yeah, I do too. But I'm going to let you in on a little fun fact about me.

Fun Fact #243:
Trevor could not sleep in if his life depended on it.

So with that newly found fun fact about me, you can imagine my pain on Christmas break when I stay up until 11:37. . .and wake up at 7:26! Yeah, I know! It's incredibly stupid! The best I can do is just lay there in my bed, hoping I will be able to drift back into a blissful slumber, but alas, it cannot come to pass with me and my messed up internal clock! But that's how it's been my whole life. Yep, I've heard many times that I'm a deprived child, but think of all the things you miss if you sleep till 1:00 PM! I would rather wake up early than late.
There are still times though when I wish that I would just knock myself unconscious and be out for the day. I won't deny it.

Peace

Christmas Time

What comes to your mind when you see or hear those two words?

For little children it's most likely big colorfully wrapped boxes holding inside them something they've been begging for all year. For more mature youth, such as teenagers, they've hopefully figured out that Christmas is a time for giving, and they start giving out presents to all of their friends and family. For the adults with children of their own, the first things that come to their mind are probably those of chaotic shopping, putting up decorations, and more. But they know that Christmas time is for time spent with the family and for Christ, and it really is.

What comes to my mind when I hear those two words?

Peace. Soft peace. Just feeling comforted, warm, and feeling loved. That is what I think of first when I think of Christmas time. I don't get much of this time to myself though, mostly because of my over excited younger siblings who are so eager they just can't control their actions and often run around the house screaming who knows what and playing with their new toys. Don't get me wrong, I love my siblings, but many times I wish they could just calm down and enjoy the peace of Christmas.

The night time is my favorite part about this holiday. Maybe not particularly on Christmas itself, but on days leading up to it. Christmas Eve is always my favorite time. We go, as a tradition, to our grandma's house for dinner, for the puppet show nativity, for the reading in Luke, and later in the night, she always has a new Christmas book that she reads us. By the time we're finished at grandma's house, our family piles into our car all bundled up in blankets ready to head home. I can never predict how the drive home is. Sometimes it's quiet, peaceful, and I can think clearly about things. Other times it's hugely chaotic and nobody can stop talking, let alone fall asleep. But those times when everything on Christmas Eve is quiet are the times I cherish. The one thing that I can think of comparing it to are the times when you're just sitting in the temple with no distractions or nobody talking around you. That peace that just flows so freely and smoothly through your body, and the knowledge that everything is alright, no matter what you're facing, is the peace that I think of when I think of Christmas time.

One of my most favorite things about Christmas is the music. Not the jazzy "Jingle Bells" or "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas," but soft music that just makes tears come to your eyes, although you can't explain why they do. Piano music is my favorite type of music to listen to at this time of year, just because it's such a powerful mood setter. For instance, when I listen to Christmas hymns like "O Holy Night," or "Away in a Manger," it's just so beautiful for me. That is, if everything else around me is still and quiet. I love listening to arrangements of these types of hymns without words, just so I can choose to sing along in my mind, or just let the flow of the notes take me away.

Now, don't think that just because I wrote this long blog post about how I love the quiet solitude of Christmas means that the only thing I enjoy about Christmas is that. No! I love everything else that comes with it! The family gatherings, the presents, the birth of Christ, it's just that the thing that I most enjoy about this holy holiday is the peace that so gently flows with it. The peace that surrounds everybody on this time of year. The peace that allows us to forget our troubles and our problems, and to let us feel loved and comforted. That is the thing I most look forward to about this time of year.

Peace