Words of Great Wisdom

"Life will knock us down, but we can choose whether or not to stand back up." - Mr. Han ["The Karate Kid" (2010)]

It all comes down to a choice. The only person we can control in this life is ourselves.

WHEN life knocks us down--for it surely will--we can choose to stay where we are, knowing we'll be safe by not taking the next risk that comes along (whether that be a romance, employment, or life in general), or we can stand back up and push forward, ready to fight the next challenge that may come our way. Heads held high, we will feel motivation and drive growing within us.

As some of you may know, my dear mother passed away a week ago. Needless to say, it's been quite a life-changing experience for me. Our lives have been so centered on Mom and her needs that now there's this hole that's in need of being filled. And it will only BE filled if I fight through what I'll be facing in the coming months.

Mom's death = Life knocking me down

My choice = To get back up and FIGHT for my life!

This experience has taught me a lot and one thing I have learned is how important it is to take care of our physical bodies NOW! (It's never too late to start!) Therefore, I am embracing the knowledge I have gained and will begin doing some form of physical activity daily! Hopefully I'll save some money (and clean the basement) to get some equiptment. But until then, I'll simply have to find ways to be active!

Therefore, when life knocks you down, and you feel like giving up, just remember to stand back up and fight, fight, FIGHT!!! For YOUR LIFE is worth fighting for. No one else can live it for you... it's 100% YOU!! And no one could do a better job!

So take a deep breath and let's go!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

"Adjustment Bureau" [Review]

I've opted to begin a movie review section.  I've always loved movies and I think it would be fun to post my opinions of movies I go and see, not only to share my own opinion with you but also for my own reflection so when the movie is released on DVD I'll remember what I enjoyed or didn't enjoy in the movie.

First up, I finally went and saw "Adjustment Bureau."  I originally wanted to see it back in March when it was released...

Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language, some sexuality, and a violent image.
Director: George Nolfi
Cast: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt
Theatrical Release Date: March 4, 2011
DVD Release Date: June 21, 2011

When I first saw the trailer [see below] I thought it looked like a less-violent version of Inception, which I was all for.  Granted, I like Inception, but hated the violence (hence the reason it is not on my movie shelf).  No matter, it immediately attracted my attention because The Adjustment Bureau looked like it had suspense, action, and romance all rolled into one.  Talk about my kind of movie!!  However, critic reviews I read painted a different picture.  The trailer makes the movie out to be rather intense, with a lot of action.  It is not.  There is intense chase scenes towards the end, but over all the movie is more down-played.  The movie focuses more on telling a story and the details, as opposed to the capturing of action scenes.  I personally like this technique.  The way in which the direction/producer/writer George Nolfi presents the balance between action, story, and romance really captured my attention throughout the entire movie.

Some may view this movie and think it moves along slowly, taking a while to get to "the point."  But I actually enjoyed the pace of the film as opposed to random chase/fight scenes.

The story concept is rather interesting.  The fact that your life has been planned out to the second really makes one ponder.  The whole idea is that every life has a plan and there are moments that are set in time.  However, agency and fate sometimes get into the mix and this causes chaos within the plan.  There are men (who remind me of "Men In Black") who are charged with keeping the plans in order, making sure certain events never cross.  For if those events were to happen, it would alter some plans permanently.

That is the main conflict our lead characters face in this movie.  David (Matt Damon) is currently running for a Senate seat in New York, with hopes of one day becoming President.  Elise (Emily Blunt) is a dancer with dreams of becoming a choreographer.  Their paths cross one day and that was to be the last time they saw each other.

However, David runs into Elise on the bus and she gives him her number so they can stay in contact.  But David was not supposed to be on that bus and he was never supposed to see her again.  There are multiple reasons for this.  One, David arrives at work earlier than planned and witnesses time has frozen and men are scanning his friend's head.  He was supposed to be late so he would not have seen that.  Obviously the men capture him and talk to him.

The second reason David was not planned to be on the bus was meeting Elise.  He was never supposed to see her again.  By doing so, it altered both their plans, and if the relationship continued, it would not only destroy David's dreams of becoming President, but also destroy Elise's dreams of being a national choreographer.  Thus, the plot is thickened.  David must decide to let go the woman of his dreams in order to let her's become a reality.

But there is something stronger than a plan pulling these two together.

Fate.

And thus the struggle between plan, choice, and fate is born!  Let the chaos begin!

Overall, I enjoyed the movie.  There was, however, more swearing than I would have preferred (a lot of "mild" swearing and the F-word is said once), as well as one scene of sexuality.  This, in my opinion ruins good movies (why can't writers/directors understand this simple fact?!).

My rating: B+

Trailer

Foundations As Sapphires

Harder day today.

Mom was not doing as well.  More comatose-like.  But, this is a GOOD thing because this means the pain and suffering for her is almost over.  It truly is a blessing.

During this experience, I have thought about all those who have lost loved ones (whether by old age, battling cancer, serious illness, by accident, etc.) and I can't help but wonder what others must feel at the passing of a loved one.  This is the first experience I have encountered in my life, and I wonder how I may have reacted differently had it been an accident--such as a car accident--that would have taken the life of both my parents.  Something sudden and unexpected.

I like to think that I would be strong enough and had the faith to believe that the Lord still loved me.  That He does have a plan and that there was a reason I would be going through something as tragic as that.

It didn't happen to me... But, sadly enough, it has happened to others.

My heart reaches out to those of you who have gone through this process before.  My heart aches even more so for those of you who have gone through this process not knowing what lies beyond this life.  If it hadn't been for the Gospel, I don't know how Dad and I would have made it through this all in one piece.  Whenever we are struggling, if we can sit down and talk about Gospel things--which is woven into our very lives everyday--both of us do better.  We're more at peace, more able to conquer another day and come out okay.

Two scriptures I came across the other night while studying:

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: Not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
[John 14:27]

"...Be strong and of good courage: be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."   
[Joshua 1:9]

And last night, I came across this scripture in 3rd Nephi that really struck home for me.

"O thou afflicted tossed with tempest, and not comforted!  Behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires."
[3 Nephi 22:11]

To me, this scripture stood out (it's Isaiah and we all know how hard he is to understand).  I began thinking more about it and this is what I discovered:

During difficult trials, we sometimes feel as though the Lord has abandoned us, left us to walk this journey alone.  But instead, He is always by our side, helping us along, yet trusting us to use the agency He has blessed us with to make our own choices.  By doing this, He enables us to grow and build a steadfast/immovable testimony because the trial was/is so difficult.  Thus, our foundations--which we have built to sustain us through life--will become as sapphires: precious, solid, and strong.

I am so grateful I was blessed to come back to the Gospel when I did.  Had I stayed inactive, I would not be where I am at today.  I certainly would not be blessed to endure this trial with the family as well as I have.  I'm grateful for that opportunity I took in Spring of 2009 to re-integrate back into the Single's Ward (only months before the dreaded August 2009).  I am super grateful for the wonderful people who have entered my life as a result of becoming active again.  My Single's Ward, as well as the Home Ward, have been a tremendous blessing in my life; all the calls, drop-bys, meals, and care and concern that have been shown unto us have really meant a lot!!  Not to mention my loving co-workers who are so willing and able to sacrifice and take time out of their busy schedules to help Dad and I with this time.  I am grateful to all my friends who have shown their love, care, and concern through many acts of service and supportive notes of encouragement!

And of course, my wonderful extended family!!  I am so happy to live so close to all my relatives (cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc).  Only two relatives on both sides (one on each side) live outside the valley!  It's an incredible blessing to have so many living so close and willing and able to be there for us at any time of day!!  I love them soooooooo much!!  What  blessing that is!!  I have grown closer to my relatives over these last few months, more so than I would have any other way I'm sure.  My heart and eyes have been opened to their true personalities and their love.  Such an incredible thing to be a part of!

You are all so wonderful!!

And my heart is full of gratitude!!

Finding Joy In the Moment

Sometimes, life can seem overwhelming, even crushing.  At others, it is light and fluffy like a feather.

Right now, there is a boulder the size of a mountain sitting on my back (or at least, that's how it feels).  A lot is going on with family (mainly Mom) and the last two months--has it only been that long?--have really been difficult.  I will not bore you with details, but take my word for it: It's been rough.  A lot of trips to the hospital and a rehab center, then there's all the worrying.

But the last two months I have also learned a TREMENDOUS amount.  I feel I have grown so much from this experience, as hard as it may be, and I am truly grateful for it; for I would not have learned this things had I not gone through this experience.  My view of life has changed so drastically, and I find myself trying to find joy in the moment.

A simple smile, a loving hug, talking with family, curling up in bed with a mug of hot chocolate... All the simple things.  I feel I have previously taken advantage of the simple things and am only now seeing their value.

Being able to take a walk,  to eat (and feed myself), and still live a healthy lifestyle (even though I'm currently not!)  But this experience has changed my mood about taking care of one's self physically!!  Needless to say, I will be setting up an exercise routine starting very soon.

Speaking of which, WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO EXERCISE FOR YOU?! I'm trying to decide when to exercise.  I'm not much of an early morning person, but I'm thinking morning may be the best time to do so.  Mainly because "life" happens during the day, and I don't want my exercise schedule to get in the way of my social life; in other words, I don't want to miss my exercises that day because I chose to hang out with friends.  That to me doesn't sound like a fair trade (and it shouldn't even be a trade to begin with!).  Exercising late at night does not appeal to me because I enjoy winding down and doing my own things before bed.

So... does this mean I'll need to start waking up at 5:30 in the morning?

The other dilemma I face is waking up that early to go down on a bike and petal my legs off does NOT sound like a good reason for me to get up in the morning!  Now... if I had a treadmill, I might be more motivated.  Two problems with that: No money and no space.  *sigh*

I just need to get my butt in gear and clean a part of the basement out.  Then I can save and buy a treadmill (I can save while I'm cleaning, seeing as it will probably take long enough for me to save the money) and then I'll have the space to turn the junk room into an exercise room!  I'll be adding "clean the basement" to my projects this summer!

Anyway, I drifted off topic.  Basically, I'm trying to find JOY IN THE MOMENTS I have with my family and life right now.  Now, don't let the above paragraphs make you think I'm not finding joy because I'm wanting a treadmill to exercise with.  Hardly!  If anything, I become more motivated and have a desire to work harder so I can earn that treadmill and have a nice place to put it!

Another aspect that we (Dad and I) have really found joy is at home with each other and our cat Squeaky!  She's such a great little companion, especially for me!!  She has the sweetest little spirit about her and is always seeking for ways to comfort us.  For instance, I was laying on my bed, waiting for Dad to get off the phone, and I happened to give a sigh.  Squeaky, who had been laying on my floor, flipped her head my direction, fully alert and wanting to make sure I was okay.  She later jumped up onto my bed and came up next to my face, giving me a kiss on my forehead!  She does this quite often and always is watchful of us.  She's such a sweet blessing to our life!  Animals are WONDERFUL and add such a spirit of peace and enjoyment to life!  Squeaky has done several things that have made Dad and I laugh so hard!  And they are very appreciated!

In fact, after this trial of life is over, we're really thinking of getting Dad a dog (Golden Retriever).  He works so many hours outside, especially during the summer, that it would be really nice to have a companion by his side as he does that.  Several years ago, we had a Golden Retriever wind up on our doorstep (quite literally!).  The poor dog had been scared by the fireworks and jumped his fence.  His name as Dax and he was so incredibly friendly!  For a few days, he stayed at our house.  Dad would work outside in the flowerbeds and Dax would be lying right by his side.  I would catch Dad talking to him occasionally and this memory is what sparked the idea of getting a dog.  Dax was so well trained--but the owners later said he had no training, it was just the characteristics of the breed--and he was such a sweet companion!  So, we may be looking into doing that in the years to come (it will be at least two years before we start to really consider this).

Anyway, what I'm really trying to say is that even during times of trial and strife, we can always find joy in the moment!!  There is so much in this life we can be grateful for, and when we are grateful, we will find life to be more pleasant and we will be happier as a result!