So, as many of you know, last week was Spring Break. This week has been crazy, so I didn't really blog about it, but nothing too exciting happened.
The Highlights:
Driving down and back with Nick: My buddy Nick goes up to UVU, and he's one of the few friends I have that isn't currently on a mission. He and I had a full 12 hours in the car together (between down and back), and it was seriously great! It made the car ride go by so fast talking about movies, rapping along with Snoop Dogg, reminiscing about seminary/high school, and talking about the future. We had SO much fun!
Jury Duty: That's right, over Spring Break I had to go in and fulfill my civic duty. I ended up getting dismissed after two full days at the court house .While the extra $30 was appreciated, the timing could not have been worse. The LAST way I wanted to spend my spring break was inside a court house in slacks and a collared shirt.
The Beach: After getting dismissed from Jury Duty, Nick and I went to Zuma/ Point Dume beach. It was SO much fun. The water was far too cold to get in, but we laid out in the sun. And by we, I mean me, because Nick brings umbrellas to the beach. Umbrellas. I mean, I get he's a ginger, but that's like cheating yourself out of the beach. But hey to each their own, right? We hung out, read books, played ukulele, and just relaxed for a few hours. We had a really cool fog roll in out of nowhere, and that's when we decided to head back.
The fog when it was rolling in
Then within 10 minutes it was EVERYWHERE, and really thick. It was kinda cool.
The voyage to Loma Linda: Once again, I had to make the 2 hour drive down to Loma Linda, where I got my surgery. I got good news though, I'm all clear to go on my mission again! Once I get home in May, I'm just gonna hit submit! I'm so excited to FINALLY go out! Nothing's stopping me now! :)
Hanging out with Robert: My friend's family is moving into a fix-up house. They were needing some help, so I spent my Friday helping them out. It was pretty fun, and after that he and I hung out at my house and it even turned into a "Oh crap, it's like 1:30. Is it cool if I sleep here?" situation, like our hang outs tend to.
So that was my spring break. Nowhere near as exciting for fun as last year, but I think I needed a more relaxing spring break this time. It wasn't the Spring Break I wanted, but it was the Spring Break I needed. </nerd>
So I walk to school because my bike is currently out of commission, and I've been too lazy to fix it. My walk usually takes about 15 minutes to get to my classes in the morning, and about the same to get home. That means that I have 30 minutes to myself where I can just think. This time has become seriously invaluable with me (that's probably why I have procrastinated fixing my bike). I can think of jokes, focus on relearning the day's lessons, think about life, etc. Since Spring Break I've done a lot of the last one. See while we were driving back, Nick mentioned that he loved Washington State, and that he was considering moving there when he was done with school. We figured out that he would be done with school when I got off my mission, and that made me really sad. I threw out the idea of possibly moving there with him after my mission, and the more we talked about the idea, the more fun it sounded like. I mean, the timing would work out great. I'll have my associate's degree when I leave for my mission, and I could go literally anywhere I wanted to. As he and I considered our "5 year plans" with Washington State included in them, he and I got very excited and it seemed like a good idea. I thought of the possibilities all of spring break.
But, during my walks, logical me began to over-analyze the possibilities. I wouldn't have a scholarship of any kind, I'd have to worry about out of state tuition, I'd be much further from my family, and what's out there for me, anyway? Basically, I began to look for reasons not to do it, and the biggest question that fit into this category was why. Why would I completely uproot my life with no prospect of a job, leave behind friends and familiarity I have here in Utah, lose my scholarship, etc. The Why has bugged me and nagged at me every walk I've had. Then, finally, on Thursday I came to a bit of a realization. I was asking the wrong question. I was asking Why, when I should be asking why not? I remembered all those cheesy phrases: adventure begins where your comfort zone ends, etc. Then I made one up myself: If you fill your life with "why's", you're filling it with "what if's". I mean, if I were to graduate SUU, get a crappy job I hate, and go through a real rough patch, I think that I would probably keep wondering "what if I'd gone to Washington with Nick." I'd blame myself and be mad because I'd think the grass would be greener on the other side. And maybe it would be, but I'd never know because I'd never seized the opportunity.
I don't know how that whole situation is gonna play out. A million variables go into it. I have to have my associate's degree before I leave, meaning I pass my math and science classes this semester, Nick has to be single, and move to Washington, I have to be in a financial situation to transfer, I have to figure out the transfer process, price it out, etc. I mean, it is really up in the air. But whether it ends up happening or not, I learned a very valuable lesson that I wanted you all to hear, because maybe it's something that you needed to hear. Maybe it'll make you do something you want to do, or take some offer you'd be inclined to turn down. But stop focusing on the why's, and focus on the why not's. Because I think that it'll make life much more exciting, if nothing else, if we take opportunities that life gives us.
