Saying Goodbye

Today one of my best friends left to serve a mission for my church for the next two years. I was able to talk to him for the last time on Monday, and even though I haven't seen him for over a month, it was still hard to say goodbye. For the next two years the only form of communication we will have is writing letters to each other.

But what does 'goodbye' really mean? Goodbye implies the end or loss of something: a conversation, an activity, maybe a friendship or relationship, or even the death of a loved one. But after thinking about this for a bit, I realized something.

Goodbye is not the end. It is only just the beginning. The beginning of a new chapter of life. The beginning of growth, learning, and development. The beginning of new friendships and experiences and interests. The beginning of a new you.

Even though at times they may seem hard, goodbyes really aren't that bad after all. And even though I won't be able to see my friend for the next two years, I know that it is completely worth it. It gives me a chance to grow and become a new and better person. In a way, it almost seems refreshing.

People in our lives come and go. I've lost good friends in the past, but when I look back, every single time it gave me a chance to become stronger and meet new people that maybe I never would have. When I left home to go to college, I had to say goodbye to my friends, my family, my bedroom, my home, and so many more things. But like I said before, it was worth it because I know that this is where I am supposed to be.

So even though I had to say goodbye to one of my best friends this week, I am saying hello to new experiences, friendships, and a whole new me. And when I look at it with that perspective, I actually get excited. The future holds so many great things that there's no reason to look back. I only have reason to look forward.

And another thing I've learned is to always stay positive, and keep smiling :)

"It all works out. Don't worry. I say that to myself every morning. It will all work out. If you do your best, it will all work out. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us."

Learn to Love Learning

Well, it's been exactly a month since I've moved to Utah for college. It's crazy how fast time flies! So much has changed, both for the good and bad, but I know that this is where I'm supposed to be. Because so much has happened these past few weeks, I figured I should share some experiences and things I've learned with you.

First, I've had to learn how to manage my time well. A few weeks ago my roommate put as her status on Facebook: "There are three essentials in college: 1) Get good grades, 2) Have lots of fun, and 3) Get lots of sleep.....You get to choose two of them." At first I completely agreed with this statement, and out of the three the two most important to me were to get good grades and get enough sleep. In fact, the first couple weeks of college I pretty much didn't care if I had a social life. But since then I've realized that having fun in college is important too! You just need to find a balance, and even though getting good grades and sleep may be more important to you than having a social life, I've found that there can be time for all three if you make time. Do what you need to get done for school, have fun, but then make sure that you're still getting the sleep you need to have energy and a clear mind the next day. Since I realized this, I've been trying to allow myself more time for fun, and because of this I've been able to meet new people and share experiences such as playing Just Dance, finding a kitten, renting a taxidermy weasel named Wesley, and many more.


Last Sunday night as my roommates and I were walking back to our apartment, we passed a girl that we knew who was talking on the phone and crying. As soon as we got back to the apartment, my roommate said, "Did you see [girl] crying? We should leave her brownies." Of course I had been sympathetic for the girl, but I wished I thought of something like that first. So we got a plate of brownies and took it to the girl's room and left it on her bed for her to find when she got back. We haven't seen or talked to her since, but I hope we were able to put a smile on her face and let her know that we love her. That was a huge example to me, even though my roommate probably didn't even think twice about it. I need to be actively looking for ways to be kind to and serve others because it really can make a difference. It also made me realize that I'm not alone; everyone has their own struggles and challenges that they are dealing with. So why not help a friend out? Even if you don't know them, one smile or kind word or little act of service can make all the difference and mean the world to them.


Another thing about college that has been different for me is how much I am learning. I feel like I am constantly learning something every minute! With going to class, doing homework (which involves lots and lots of reading...), and just being around new people, I feel like I am intaking so much new information. But it's great! Since I've started college, I've learned to love learning. And I think that's important to being successful. If you don't love learning, then you don't have as much capacity to grow and improve yourself. And who wouldn't want to do that? I've also found that what I'm learning here is a lot more interesting than high school. I felt like I was limited in high school. But here, the sky is the limit. I can do anything that I put my mind to. There are so many classes to choose from, so many people to learn from, and so many new experiences out there. And with the amount that I've learned this past month, I can't imagine what it will be like at the end of this year, or when I graduate in four years.


Also another random thing I've realized, there is no such thing as comfortable shoes. The end. At least not in my closet...


And since I promised, I'll leave you with a quote of the day:
"You can let it harden you or let it soften you. Boiled water hardens eggs and softens carrots."

Amazing Pianist

So the other day my roommate showed me this video of her friend's brother, and I (being the alright pianist that I am) just thought this was amazing. Take a look:

Notice how he has to use both feet to do both of the pedals on each piano. Cool, huh?

I also decided that every time I post I am going to try to leave you with a quote. So here's the quote for today:

"You must learn to walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness; then the light will appear and show the way before you."

A Little About Me

Before I post anything else, I figure I should tell you a little about myself so you can get to know me.

I was born in Oceanside, California, on November 17, 1992. I moved to Arizona when I was about six months old and have lived there ever since. I am currently attending Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. I plan to major in journalism, and I would love to work for a magazine some day. The classes I am currently taking are Book of Mormon, General Psychology, Calculus 1, Writing & Rhetoric, and Mass Communications & Society.

In high school, I was a part of the yearbook staff for 3 years. That's basically what inspired me to pursue journalism as a career. My junior year I was a copy editor, which I really enjoyed, and that's when I decided I wanted to be an editor for a major publication some day. However, my senior year I was the design editor, and I completely loved it! After that, I decided that what I really wanted to do was design layouts for a magazine.

Now for some favorites. My favorite color is (and almost always has been) blue. I love Italian food. I enjoy playing the piano, and I wish I could write my own music. I love chocolate, peanut butter, and ice cream. I like a lot of different music, but I cannot stand most country music. Sorry to those of you who like it. We can still be friends :)

Another thing about me: I'm not very talkative. I like listening to others and learning from them. Those of you who already know me have probably found this to be true. I feel like I can express myself much easier through writing, which is probably one of the reasons why I first got interested in journalism. That is what I hope to accomplish with this blog. To help you, encourage you, and share a little piece of myself with you.

By the way, any and all comments are appreciated :)

5 Characteristics Of A Great Learner

Well, this is my first blog post ever! For my Writing & Rhetoric class, we are required to create a blog and publish about 20 posts throughout the semester, so here we go!

My first post will focus on a speech President Henry B. Eyring gave in a 1997 devotional at Brigham Young University titled "A Child of God". He emphasized the importance of learning and receiving a good education, and talked about the following five characteristic behaviors of great learners:

1) Welcome correction.

Without correction, how are we supposed to improve ourselves? How are we supposed to learn and grow? We must take in all the correction we can get, not only from those around us, but also ourselves. But we must remember that the most important correction we can receive will come from our Heavenly Father. Not only will He correct us with love, but He will strengthen us and help us apply that correction in our lives. We must develop a desire for correction, and seek it frequently. For this reason, as President Eyring stated, "...you can appreciate getting back one of your papers when it is covered with jottings in red ink." Remember that learning is much more important than the grade written at the top of your page.

2) Keep commitments.
President Eyring said, "...what all great learners have is a deep appreciation for finding better rules and a commitment to keeping them." This is so true. We must develop high expectations for ourselves, and keep the commitments that we make to ourselves, our peers, and our Father in Heaven. Heavenly Father requires exactness of us. How else are we supposed to become like him? That is the purpose of his plan, and He has made it possible for us to know his rules through the scriptures and from our prophets. However, it is up to us whether we will follow his rules, and if we do we will receive the companionship of the Holy Ghost, which will make it much easier for us to continue to keep our commitments and discern good from evil, which is the key to learning.

3) Work hard.
As long as we are working, we are also learning. The purpose of going to school or work should be to learn and develop new skills, not to receive good grades or a high paycheck. President Eyring said, "For the child of God who has enough faith in the plan of salvation to treat it as reality, hard work is the only reasonable option." Many, in fact, most of us do not realize how short life really is, and what we do here in this life determines how we will live for the rest of eternity. Therefore, we must always be in the service of our God.

4) Help other people.
Great learners help other people. What we can learn from other people will be invaluable. No one on this earth knows everything, but everyone knows something that you don't. So open yourself up, and find out what that thing is. You must remember that every person you will ever meet is a child of God, and deserves your love and service. I promise that if you take the time, you can learn something from every person you interact with, especially those whom you serve. President Eyring stated, "Sometimes the greatest kindness we could receive would be to have someone expect more from us than we do, because they see more clearly our divine heritage."

5) Expect resistance and overcome it.
If something is easy, you are probably not learning from it. Yes, you are going face discouragement in your life often, but don't let it bring you down! Overcome it! Life is a test. Have hope. Go to the Lord for strength. Without Him, we are nothing. President Eyring told the story of his mother, who died after suffering with cancer for a decade. President Kimball spoke at her funeral and said, "Some of you may wonder what great sins Mildred committed to explain her having to endure such suffering. It had nothing to do with sin. It was that her Heavenly Father wanted to polish her a little more." I know this to be true. Our Heavenly Father loves us and wants what is best for us. If that means placing challenges in our paths and stepping out of our comfort zone a little bit, then so be it. As President Eyring said, "He will give us no test without preparing the way for us to pass it."

I hope this was in some way helpful to at least one of you. Everyone has the potential to become a better learner. But it won't all come at once. It takes time. Pick one of the above characteristics that you feel like you could improve in yourself, and work on it. Once you feel comfortable with that characteristic, pick a different one, until you have gone through them all. It will benefit you more than you can imagine. Follow the advice of President Eyring: "The time to start is now...Do what you have been prompted to do. Do it now."