I really like movie quotes...

One of my favorite movie quotes is from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Given the depth of the movie, and the stereotypes of blogging, this would be an opportune moment to endeavor into a lengthy discussion about the mysteries of life; however I have a much simpler point this time. The quote makes the point perfectly.

"Sand is overrated; it's just tiny, little rocks."

I do not like sand.

I love the beach because a) the ocean is awesome b) the weather is nice and c) it's a place I can relax.

I can do without the sand.

It gets everywhere. Literally.

I have thought about sand alternatives...

Perhaps astro turf? Easy clean up... Easier to run and walk on... Low maintenance... I'm seeing very few cons. We could even make the astro turf sand-colored in order to keep people from complaining that it looks weird.

I thought about carpet...hardwood...tile...animal fur...

But I'm pretty sure astro turf is the best bet.

Then again...

Maybe we should keep sand.

There are people in the world who like to complain even in the best situations. You know these people. You might be one of these people. If these people don't have sand to complain about, they might complain about other things and get on my nerves. At least I usually expect people to complain about sand.

Who knows.

Maybe it is best to have the sand, and just love that I don't like it.

That's how life is with people. We don't make friends or find companionship with perfect people.

We find people that have imperfections we can live with.

Accepting that someone isn't perfect and loving them anyway is how relationships form among people.

My other favorite quote from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is dialogue between two characters:

- I can't see anything that I don't like about you.
- But you will! But you will. You know, you will think of things. And I'll get bored with you and feel trapped because that's what happens with me.
- Okay.

Okay.

Living in the moment

I just watched a live airing of Sports Center.

I witnessed the glory of live tv.

The anchors were discussing a story about Jay Cutler when a transition screen came up for the next story. When the transition screen cut back to the live camera, the cameras were not in position. The female anchor continued delivering the details of Curt Schilling's retirement, but the camera locked in on the male anchor.

So what do you expect to happen?

Does he panic and make an awkward face?

Does he make the cut motion across his neck?

No.

He goes with it.

The anchor began to to mouth what his co-anchor was saying. This went on for 10 to 15 seconds. He managed to make it through the entire story without laughing. At the end he simply smiled and continued with his own story.

I couldnt help but laugh.

He played it so smoothly.

Improv.

Off the cuff.

Going with the flow.

That's real life.

We can plan all we want. We can have expectations. But in the end, we have to trust God and just go with it.

Here's to being able to handle the unexpected events of every day life.

How boring would life be if everything went according to plan?

My life is not my own

There are times that I think I have a great plan.

It's perfect.

I can't see anything that can go wrong.

So I pray.

I pray so selfishly for God to grant me the things that I believe he could use. They are not bad things. I convince myself that I am look at things objectively. that my ideas are good for everyone. that I am right.

I am not right.

He has a perfect plan.

I HAVE to remember that.

Lord please make my dreams your dreams. Help me trust that you have a better plan than my best plan.

Lord teach me to leave you in control even now when things are going well.

The Sun

Ah, the sun.

So energizing.

So draining.

All at the same time.

Difficult to gaze into,

Yet still captivating.

Come on Spring.

Page 2

Paul Harvey.

A great American radio host.

He passed away this past Saturday at 90 years old. I highly doubt he would want us to be remorseful over his death. Instead, I think he would want us to celebrate his long and successful life.

I think the best way to do this is to once again enjoy some of his best quotes.

He always started with his stock phrase: "Hello, Americans! This is Paul Harvey! Stand by for news!"

His other regular phrases included: "Now you know the rest of the story." and "May I have your undivided attention for just a moment."

Every time he was ready to begin one of his own commercials he would say, "Page 2."

He captivated audiences by giving news, and then tagging his own humorous one liners on the end. I could spend the rest of my life listing these, and I would probably still leave some out.

"Golf is a game in which you yell "Fore!", shoot six, and write down five."

"If there is a 50/50 chance that something can go wrong, then 9 times out of 10 it will."

"If 'pro' is the opposite of 'con,' what is the opposite of progress?"

"'Nudists in Lakeland, Florida are upset that outsiders are sneaking a peak through a hole in their fence,' he intoned. 'The police promise to look into it.'"

"A man called the I.R.S. and asked if birth control pills could be deducted. The I.R.S. worker, not missing a beat, came back and said, 'Only if they don't work.'"

Of course his most famous quote was his signature sign-off: "This is Paul Harvey--Good Day!"

(I don't know why the spacing is messed up on this blog)

Pine Cones

My father is a little OCD, and (of course) by a little, I mean a lot.

He likes for his yard to be neat and orderly. Keeping it up to his strict standards is a constant battle--a battle against pine cones.

Pine cones.

Prickly. Brown. Various sizes. Make excellent bird feeders when covered in peanut butter.

A worthy foe.

Every time Dad passes our yard his eyes dart across it to make sure gravity has not pulled another evil doer onto his perfect lawn.

Usually, a pine cone will be there. Immediately, he will dart across the yard to grab the pine cone. Predictably, he takes it to the trashcan just inside of the garage to throw it away. Jokingly, I smirk and shake my head.

Dad hates pine cones. He knows there will always be pine cones to pick up. I tell him that he should get rid of the trees, but he likes the trees.

I think that we all have pine cones.

We all spend our lives constantly fixing little things when there is one over-bearing thing that (if dealt with) could stop all of the little things from existing.

We should address and deal with the real issues in our lives rather than the results of the big issues.

However, picking up pine cones is much easier than moving trees.

Sometimes with all of our problems and problems caused by those initial problems we get overwhelmed.

We feel helpless and out-numbered.

It seems like there are just too many things to deal with and nothing can help.

There is wonderful news.

Jesus has already covered all of it.

God will handle all of it if we just allow Him to.

He wants to help us.

You may feel like the entire world is against you. You may think that everyone else is doing the wrong thing so why shouldn't you? It'll be okay since all of my friends are living this way and doing these things.

Do not feel alone. Our God is greater than we can describe.

God can clean up all of your pine cones. He can take the trees out of your yard.

My sister put it best on Sunday.

"God and I are the majority."