I've had a missing hubcap for a couple of months now, which my dad frowns upon because he thinks it's white trash, but when I drove back to California a few weeks ago to work for a few days I noticed that most of the cars in LA have one hubcap missing probably from all the street parking so maybe I fit in there more than I thought.
I apologize for the gap in updating my blog. January is my least inspiring month and I haven't found much motivation in finding stuff to write about so I didn't. I will say I've been working on finishing the re-write of my children's book, tweaking my first album which I plan to have done by my birthday, looking at masters programs, reading Bonds That Make Us Free with some friends from work - very insightful about your way of being and how you interact with others, - and discovering Horatio Hornblower. I love the British. My mom's been recovering nicely from her surgery - still as fiesty as ever - and I think Ben and I solved the ant problem in our kitchen six ant traps later. I also got to experience the Sundance Film Festival for the first time this year. It was crowded but I saw a great film called Adam which was a surprisingly refreshing love story. I love well-written scripts and want to get better at writing them myself. My recent trip to California was productive. I taught in Compton and West LA, tried a great new Italian restaurant, ran on the beach twice (I love California weather, it makes me happy),went to Disneyland, spent time with my nieces and found some cheap stuff at the swap meet (and had a lovely nap after), and made the entire road trip by myself which I decided I don't want to do again. The drive's too long, I don't have cruise control, and I got tired of talking to myself - even in my different accents. But it did make me feel good that the gas station attendant in Baker wished me a good trip and sincerely asked me to drive safely. Wow, some stranger cared. I was genuinely touched. I drove back to Utah on Groundhog's Day and was so glad I didn't wake up to Sonny and Cher the next morning and have to repeat the drive over again. I'm also enjoying being a Relief Society teacher and gave my first lesson in my new ward on the same day Ben and I were asked to speak in Church. My brain felt kind of taxed but it was an edifying Sunday. I've been thinking a lot about balance lately and how balance is the key to everything. One can't be too extreme in one direction or the other but develop wise judgment and be responsible to exercise judgment in the variety of situations that we encounter, that our unique to us and to circumstances. I'm finding that things aren't always so black and white like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings (still my favorite movies). Life requires the constant examining and exercising of justice and mercy, of judgment between what is right and what is wrong for each of us in our different spheres. Of course there is a basic foundation and important, basic building blocks but the more I learn the more I realize how sparingly absolutes should be used and applied to ourselves and to others. Life is about balance. So maybe I should lose another hubcap just to make it even.
