Trees

You know what's crazy?

The world is actually exploding all around us.
It's just happening in slow motion.
Seriously.

Think about it.
All growth is explosive.

Take trees for example.
A tiny green plant shoots out of the seed,
and then breaks through the topsoil.
Then it keeps growing and stretching and getting bigger,
unfurling leaves and new branches.

Or a human,
which starts out as a tiny fetus in the womb.
Then it comes out.
And then it grows for about 25 years,
developing bone mass and getting larger and larger.
Kind of like a tree.

That's pretty cool.
Everything is exploding with growth and energy.
Just reaallllly slllowwwllly..
We can see the process a lot better when it's sped up

So yeah, that's pretty crazy
Here's a tree I drew

XX

Dang.
Joey is twenty.
I can't even believe it.
I remember first meeting Joey at camp in 2006 (I think)
He was this cool kid from Idaho who had a sick snowboarding jacket
and slept on the bunk directly above mine.
Basically, he was way cooler than me.
Then we both ended up moving here to Vancouver and I don't even remember
how we actually became such close friends.

But I remember that first quarter of Clark when we had American History together
and we just sat in the back with Alina and talked the whole time.
I remember when he first got his license and his Jetta, and how awesome
it was speeding down the freeway at night blasting techno.
I remember how one quarter, him and Max came over almost every day to play
ping pong and how we would always compete to see who was the best.
I remember driving up to Mt. Hood and getting stuck in the snow without chains.
I remember spending the night at his house and staying up til like 3 because
we were laughing so hard that we couldn't sleep.

He was one of the few people who had this strange power to make me
laugh uncontrollably, and it still happens to this day.
He's one of the nicest people I know, and I've never seen him mad
(well actually I have, but not a lot)
He's really mellow and doesn't get stressed out easily.

Through all the time we've spent together, it's fascinating to see how he's changed.
He's become more stable, more of a man.
He's come out of his shell,
he's become less afraid to show people who he really is.
He's become more Christlike.

While it was fun to spend time with him before,
it's a lot more so now because our friendship has reached a new depth
with our spiritual growth that we've experienced.
Now we have a much deeper connection that goes beyond just hanging out
for the sake of fun and entertainment.

So Broseph..
Happy Birthday
You are awesome and I'm super blessed to have you as a friend.
This card is obviously sarcastic, because you have your whole life
ahead of you and your future is looking very promising.

Choices

The cafeteria at my university has the most delicious chicken strips.
Crispy on the outside, and incredibly juicy and tender on the inside.
The cooks make them just right so that they're still nice and hot when they
get to your table.
And on top of that, they're served with a mountain of fries,
fresh out of the deep-fryer, with a crispy golden skin and
just the right amount of sea salt.

That's what I was thinking about last week.
As I sat there.
Eating my salad.

Every time I'm in the cafeteria on my lunch break I face this choice.
Either I do what I know is right and just enjoy my salad, or I ignore my
conscience and indulge in those chicken strips.
Sometimes I make the latter choice, but only if I make a deal with myself.
Something like "I'll only eat these if I go for a run tonight"

A few months ago, this wouldn't have even been an issue.
I would've just devoured the chicken strips without thinking.
But the reason this debate happens now is because I realized that
my choice will have consequences.
If I stick to my salad, I won't have as much pleasure now,
but the reward will be greater in the future.
And vice versa, if I give in to those chicken strips, I'll have immense
pleasure now, but I'll face the consequences of those extra calories soon.

I used to have a more abstract view of the decisions I make in life,
a view that 'whatever happens, happens' and that life is just a nebulous
movement of various events and people.
And while that's true to a degree, it's also one of the reasons why many
refuse to take action and live lives of passive existence.

You have a lot more control than you realize.

To use a very cliched example, think of it like a building.
The choices you make everyday are like the bricks that you lay down.
Since you're always working at the most recent unfinished level, you
don't really have an idea of how this whole building will turn out.
You just keep doing your thing, laying one row of bricks after the other,
day by day. And if you mess up on one, you don't really see it as a big deal
because it's just the top row and nothing is built on it yet.
But then one day, you look down and see all those rows that you've previously
laid. And then you see how one small mistake in those rows can screw up
everything built on top of it. And how one brick that's seemingly unimportant
can jeopardize the entire building project.

If you think about it, that's quite an empowering thought.
The fact that you have control over the decisions you make.
You literally have the capability to shape your life into anything
you want it to be.

Of course, there's always something to be said for things that are out of
our control. But even with those, you still have a choice.
You can choose whether to worry and stress about it, or just let it go
and relax.

You choose what kind of person you will be.
You make that choice by the little choices you make every single day.
Your life is made up of small choices like that.
You and I face them everyday.

What do I invest my time in? How do I use the 24 hours that I have as
efficiently as I can? Do I keep myself busy with the things that need to get done
or do I just lounge around procrastinating?

When I'm stuck behind some old lady driving 10 under the speed limit,
and I'm late to class.
Do I get frustrated or do I just chill out and accept it?

Do I stay home and keep staring at the screen, or do I go outside
and bike/run/skate/whatever?

When someone acts in a way that I dislike, do I harbor bitterness toward them,
or do I make the choice to love them in spite of their imperfection?

Do I waste my money on coffee and eating out, or do I understand that every
little bit counts and save it up instead?

Do I strike up a conversation with this stranger walking next to me, or do
we just both keep walking in awkward silence?

Do I eat one brownie or two?

Do I strive to make something great out of my life, or do I just passively
float by doing the bare minimum?

Some choices are not as clear as chicken strips vs. salad.
Some choices have many factors to consider.
Some choices carry much heavier consequences.
Some choices are really hard to make.

But these choices are yours everyday.
Be aware of them.
Be smart about them.
Take control.
Live your life.
Make your choice.

***

One Day

Some thoughts on One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
by Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

Scooter Kids

I've been on a nostalgia trip lately..
Looking at old photos, reading through old emails, watching old videos.
Maybe it's still the whole 'turning twenty quarter-life' crisis thing..
I'm realizing how fast time flies by and how important it is to appreciate every moment.

It's funny how things don't seem very special in the present,
but when those things pass and turn into memories, they gain a sort of idealized
dreamlike feeling. As if there was something special there that you couldn't
see at the time.

Looking back at the past few years, it seemed like we had so much good times,
but I'm sure that at those moments, I didn't really feel anything different.
That's probably how it'll be in a few years, when I look back at now and think
how great it was, even though right now it feels like life is harder than it ever was.
It's strange how that works..
Memories are amazing.. Don't let yourself forget them.

Video, circa 2007

RIP Chancho

Even though you kept me up at night,
pooped all over my room,
and chewed up everything (including my phone charger and headphones)...


I'll miss you


I drew this when I first got him..
Rest in Peace Chancho

Listen

Have you ever had that when you're trying to explain something important to someone,
and it seems like they are either not understanding it or not paying attention?

Happens to me all the time.

I've realized that so many thoughts and sayings are incredibly profound
if you pay attention and think about them, something that most
people aren't willing to do unfortunately.

I think that's why so much talk today is just cheap and useless.
I think that's why people have given up on saying things that are meaningful,
because almost no one is willing to listen and understand.
I think that's why, in the midst of today's information overload, so little is actually being said.

People have become too self-absorbed with what they have to say.
They don't realize that the people they talk to are living humans just like them,
with thoughts, dreams, and passions that they want to share.
Everyone wants to express what's inside of them, it's the way God made us.
Everyone wants to be listened to and understood.
We actually have a lot of common ground with most people around us, but we'll never
know unless we listen and let them open up.
There's so much to learn from people, and we really miss out when we're selfish and
refuse to listen.

That's why so much of our conversations are full of small talk and meaningless chatter.
Sometimes I think both sides want to express themselves sincerely and honestly
but are afraid.
Afraid of being judged, laughed at, or rejected.
So don't mock or make fun of people when they talk about something they really care about.
Even if it's seemingly insignificant or stupid.
To them, those words are just as important as your inner thoughts are to you.

I'm guilty of that.
I also need to listen more and be genuinely interested.
I'm realizing that the reason so many people feel depressed and misunderstood
is because they're too busy thinking about themselves
instead of opening their eyes and being involved in someone else's life.

So do yourself a favor.

Listen.

Ask questions.
Try to understand what people are really saying
and why they're saying it.

Encourage others to open up by being open yourself.
Don't worry about what other people will say
because their opinion doesn't have to affect you.

Be real.