So, the title of this post is an allusion to my overall position in life right now. Patience is a virtue that thankfully I'm blessed with an above-average amount of (though many of you know that I'm far from perfect.)
First, I'm waiting for life to quit kicking me squarely in the behind. If you read our post from last week, you may remember that car problems had us feeling a bit unlucky. Well, a line from "Pirates of the Caribbean" has taken strong hold in my mind today: "My sympathies friend, you've no manner of luck at all!" This morning, as we headed out to our 7:30 AM meeting, our Subaru (which we're only driving because the Corolla is still in the shop) was putting up a fuss. It was hesitating and sputtering a bit as we headed up the first hill, then as we headed up a second hill, it really didn't want to go and the check engine light came on. We were floored, and truly feel like we have no manner of luck at all. However, after coming home from church and listening to a talk on remaining cheerful despite adversity, we feel like there must be something special in store for us if this keeps happening to us! We didn't think it could get worse, but it has. Fortunately, the Corolla is finished and we can pick it up tomorrow, and we'll probably drop Suzie off too.
The second thing I'm waiting for is an answer to prayer. I have had the hardest time figuring out what I want to be when I grow up. In the blessing my stake president gave me before my mission, I was told that I would have times during my mission that would give me insights into my future career. Well, I sure wish I knew which times those were! I'm really wavering on the Law School thing now, and I really don't know where to go from here. All I know is that I care about people and feel like I could help people find balance and harmony in all aspects of their lives to achieve overall wellness. Maybe I should be a Psychologist? Or maybe I should just write a few books and then supplement by teaching or woodworking or something. I don't really care how much I make as long as it's enough to support the spending habits of my wife and our children (oh, and me too.) There is One who has the answers, but I haven't got them yet.
Thirdly, I'm waiting for the baby to come. And that is one thing that I can wait for! I'm not in a hurry to get him here. On Tuesday night we had our first birth class up at the U hospital. There are four couples in the class (one girl is doing it with her mom), and it wasn't nearly as bad as I had imagined it would be. Everything is still going well with our baby. He really does seem to know when I'm around because whenever I put my hand on atec's tummy, he starts kicking. It's so regular that it has to be more than a coincidence, and that makes me feel good to think that he's getting comfortable with me too and not just atec.
Anything else I'm missing? Oh, I'm waiting for baseball to start, though it's not like I zero in on every game and live or die with wins and losses. If the Red Sox are on, I watch. If not, I usually don't. But it will be nice to have games to help me relax a little. I'm also waiting to get an iPhone... that one is hard for me to wait for. but i hope that when I do get one it turns out to help me as much as I think it will with school and with deliveries at work.
As for this week's song, I HATE IT! It's so dumb to think that we should just wait for everyone else to change things we don't like. If you've got a problem, do something about it. (And, I completely disagree with John Mayer's feelings on the war in Iraq and such, but that'll have to be a post for another day.) That being said, I used this song anyway because if you ignore the verses and just listen to the chorus (J.M. does put out a pretty catchy melody), you can learn something positive from it. That is, your world is going to change whether you cause the change or not. So you need to develop an attitude that you can adapt to the changes and make them work for you, not against you. And when things happen (like car problem after car problem) that make you feel crummy and irritated and tired and forgotten, remember that things will change and when they do you'll feel happy and easy and energetic and proud.
Actually, now that I've written that, I think I'm going to put on a different song... well, I'll do both so that the message still gets across.
First, I'm waiting for life to quit kicking me squarely in the behind. If you read our post from last week, you may remember that car problems had us feeling a bit unlucky. Well, a line from "Pirates of the Caribbean" has taken strong hold in my mind today: "My sympathies friend, you've no manner of luck at all!" This morning, as we headed out to our 7:30 AM meeting, our Subaru (which we're only driving because the Corolla is still in the shop) was putting up a fuss. It was hesitating and sputtering a bit as we headed up the first hill, then as we headed up a second hill, it really didn't want to go and the check engine light came on. We were floored, and truly feel like we have no manner of luck at all. However, after coming home from church and listening to a talk on remaining cheerful despite adversity, we feel like there must be something special in store for us if this keeps happening to us! We didn't think it could get worse, but it has. Fortunately, the Corolla is finished and we can pick it up tomorrow, and we'll probably drop Suzie off too.
The second thing I'm waiting for is an answer to prayer. I have had the hardest time figuring out what I want to be when I grow up. In the blessing my stake president gave me before my mission, I was told that I would have times during my mission that would give me insights into my future career. Well, I sure wish I knew which times those were! I'm really wavering on the Law School thing now, and I really don't know where to go from here. All I know is that I care about people and feel like I could help people find balance and harmony in all aspects of their lives to achieve overall wellness. Maybe I should be a Psychologist? Or maybe I should just write a few books and then supplement by teaching or woodworking or something. I don't really care how much I make as long as it's enough to support the spending habits of my wife and our children (oh, and me too.) There is One who has the answers, but I haven't got them yet.
Thirdly, I'm waiting for the baby to come. And that is one thing that I can wait for! I'm not in a hurry to get him here. On Tuesday night we had our first birth class up at the U hospital. There are four couples in the class (one girl is doing it with her mom), and it wasn't nearly as bad as I had imagined it would be. Everything is still going well with our baby. He really does seem to know when I'm around because whenever I put my hand on atec's tummy, he starts kicking. It's so regular that it has to be more than a coincidence, and that makes me feel good to think that he's getting comfortable with me too and not just atec.
Anything else I'm missing? Oh, I'm waiting for baseball to start, though it's not like I zero in on every game and live or die with wins and losses. If the Red Sox are on, I watch. If not, I usually don't. But it will be nice to have games to help me relax a little. I'm also waiting to get an iPhone... that one is hard for me to wait for. but i hope that when I do get one it turns out to help me as much as I think it will with school and with deliveries at work.
As for this week's song, I HATE IT! It's so dumb to think that we should just wait for everyone else to change things we don't like. If you've got a problem, do something about it. (And, I completely disagree with John Mayer's feelings on the war in Iraq and such, but that'll have to be a post for another day.) That being said, I used this song anyway because if you ignore the verses and just listen to the chorus (J.M. does put out a pretty catchy melody), you can learn something positive from it. That is, your world is going to change whether you cause the change or not. So you need to develop an attitude that you can adapt to the changes and make them work for you, not against you. And when things happen (like car problem after car problem) that make you feel crummy and irritated and tired and forgotten, remember that things will change and when they do you'll feel happy and easy and energetic and proud.
Actually, now that I've written that, I think I'm going to put on a different song... well, I'll do both so that the message still gets across.
2 comments:
I hope you make it to L.A. and win a car on The Price is Right! Let me know when you're going and I'll come cheer you on - you know you'll get picked for sure if I'm with you. Heehee.....
Aw, good luck with the cars guys--when it rains it pours with that kind of stuff. Paul--I love your writing. Have a career where you write stuff, that's what I say.
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