Random | modnaR

This ad was for a hair gel. It is supposed to help people stay messed up all day...as if the thought of a normal day is old-fashioned, we now have gel to mess people up all day! *sigh* Truly, we are living in the end times.

1. I find it much more fulfilling encouraging others than doing so to myself. In fact, it is when I am going through rough patches in life that encouraging, helping, and serving others brings me to a whole new level. When you forget about yourself and your issues (which, in the existential scheme of things, is quite small) and focus on others, I think a little bit of heaven invades your heart. Nice...

2. Someone I know almost had a nervous breakdown recently. For over an hour we talked on the phone. In the end, all was as well as it could be, but I learned some valuable tidbits about how the human mind works. I am convinced that the mind is the source of all victory as well as defeat. Fear, when left to breed unchecked, will utterly destroy your sense of inner peace in spite of your knowledge of God’s promises. Faith, when growing and active, will ultimately propel your life forward in spite of the manifest evidence of a discouraging environment surrounding you. This person had such a fearful “faith” of all the terrible things happening to him/her that life seemed unbearable. Tears coupled with sobbing cries of hopelessness filled my phone. Silence was my only repartee during brief moments of the conversation. Why? Was I mute? Did I lack words? No. I knew not what to say because this person was so very convinced that how he/she was perceiving the situation was true I could not see a way past the ironclad gate of the mind which trapped them so. A man is sorely convinced that the sky is yellow. Should you tell him, "No it isn't, it's blue," would he not promptly reply, "No it isn't, it's yellow"? The mind is a powerful thing. Do NOT let your mind rule you. Rule your mind. A quote:

“A man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed-seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind.” –James Allen

3. I had my Japanese school farewell party the other night. Natsukashii ne…this is my final year with the Japanese school and accordingly the leaving teachers said their farewells. I said mine, quite moving I think it was. For me, Japan has been 4 years of my life: 2 in Kumamoto, 2 here in the Japanese school. Sitting there listening to the speeches, I couldn’t understand 80% of what they were saying. So, I did what I always used to do in Japan when sitting through speeches I didn't understand: think about something else. I started thinking about all the stuff I did in Japan. Then about all the stuff I just used to do in life.

a) Go running.
b) Play taiko.
c) Build R/C cars and race them.
d) Train on my mountain bike and road bike. Entered 2 races…
e) Was a nature reserve ranger. Fed baby bats, birds, and snakes.
f) Volunteered at an aquarium. In charge of the nurse sharks and petting tank.
g) President of film club in my high school. Used to video our school’s ice hockey team. (dude, that sport is rough)
h) Changed the oil in my family’s cars. Spark plugs too. Batteries, umm…
i) Cut grass every week. Rake leaves every fall. Shovel snow every winter. I always smile at the men doing ‘yard’ work here in Singapore. I envy them sometimes…but just wish I could show them THE RIGHT TOOLS TO USE.
j) Write 10 page letters (hand-written) to friends. With diagrams when I tried to explain something I wanted them to understand. I was long-handed long before I was long-winded.
k) Play the organ, piano, and drums in my church since the age of 14. Played in 5 different churches over my lifetime as the need arose and as my residence changed.
l) Did paintballing with my boy-scout troop…and my uncle. Dude, I love paintballing.
m) Camped out in summer, winter, fall, spring. Hiked and camped for 4 days and 3 nights with other freshmen before entering college. Nope..we didn’t shower for the whole time (we did find a rockin’ water hole on day 2, though…). Ever wonder how to brush your teeth and take care of yourself in the woods? Come, I teach you many things…
n) Owned about 6 cars in my life, and took care of ‘em. Subaru is the best!
o) Traveled around my Japanese town and state on my own for the entire 2 years I was there.
p) Cook my own food. I was a grocery shopping expert. Eating out was like twice a month.

Ok, so this list kinda wandered off point. But the good thing is it brought back memories. Good ones…