The Story of My Poinsettia's Near-death Experience

As Alyssa prepared to go on her mission, she handed me what looked like a potted plant and asked me to take care of it. She said it was a poinsettia and she wanted me to have it while she was gone, like the love fern Kate Hudson gave Matthew McConaughey in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. I hesitated, thinking back to my extensive background (maybe a week) of babysitting plants. 

• Babysitting two of her plants over a long weekend (few plants can die in a week, even with my care).
• Conducting a science experiment in fourth grade (where I watered the plants with coffee to see if they would grow).
• ... and that's it.

She can't be seriously thinking of me, I thought. Doesn't she know my record? I feed them foreign substances just to see if they can handle the real world!

Alyssa shook the plant a bit to get me to take it, snapping me out of my daze. Slowly I reached out my hands until I touched it. She proceeded to shove it the rest of the way into my arms, not realizing that she was signing its death sentence by doing so.

I took an oath nonetheless to take care of this plant as best I could. I took it home and sat it on my table facing the western sky (thinking that by default it had to survive because I was giving it life).

For the first couple months I tried to water it as best I could. This meant watering it every third Thursday and only if I happened to be in the kitchen at all that day. Its leaves were falling off before they had a chance to grow. What few remained were turning brown at the edges and only sporting a light green throughout the rest of the leaf.

The bottom half of the stem is full of stubs that should have been long, beautiful leaves, but shriveled away due to a lack of nourishment. The ground was like a graveyard of rotting pieces that should have lived for months to come. Seriously, I have no idea how it survived those hard months.

But survive it did and I've finally taken responsibility of the plant. I consciously water it every day, making sure that the soil stays damp, but not flooded. I even took the time to Google "Poinsettia Care." That's love if you ask me.

Let me tell you the difference it has made to! This little baby is perking back up. I examined the leaves the other day and they are GREEN. And I don't mean no brown, I mean a deep, gorgeous green that screams health! I took a picture of it to share with you (conveniently forgetting to take a before picture back when it was dying). Take a look!

I'm waiting for those awesome red leaves to develop up top but I have faith that with time they'll come. :) Also, there is another plant, Steve, poking out in pieces in the background. Ignore the yellowing leaves. They no longer have a place on my Poinsettia.

It got me thinking of a simple truth though. Children are like Poinsettias. The more you nourish them, the better they grow. Lessons in morality and kindness are the water. Teachings of personal worth and opportunity are the sun's glorious rays. They bring hope and life to everything they touch. The potential on these kids are only limited to their overall lifespan. Other than that they can grow taller and more beautiful than ever.

In contrast, the more you neglect them on a table with half closed blinds, the less opportunities they'll have. More leaves brown and fall than grow in these environments. With little hope, understanding, and moral values, how can they ever reach even a fraction of their potential before they give up? Pushes me to be a nurturing father when I grow up. What does that mean though? and how do you overcome fear to make it happen?

How to Improve Society

Many today are looking for a solution to our society’s problems. Recently, citizens have been fighting for or against gun restrictions. Two differing opinions fighting for the same purpose: the best society. People see issues like this every day and worry that their way of life is regressing. They long to know how to improve society to ensure a safe and prosperous future. The solution must come from within though. In order to find out how to improve society must begin with an understanding of what it is.

 

You and Me: The Roots

 

Society is a group of individuals coming together to form a mutual beneficial relationship. At its base, it is founded, controlled, and owned by us, people like you and me. That’s right, you and I have an equal say in how it will function throughout our lives. We share that right with every other person in the town, county, state, and nation we live in.

 

Merriam-Webster defines society as “a part of a community that is a unit distinguishable by particular aims or standards of living or conduct : a social circle or a group of social circles having a clearly marked identity” (Merriam-webster.com, definition 4).

 

More than that, a culture grows and evolves according to the changes in beliefs and standards of living or conduct. It is determined by popular—often unspoken—consent. You can tell what the majority of the people thinks about something based on how they react to it.

 

A criminal is given a fair trial when the people values justice. A man’s right to go where he pleases and say what he wants is protected by a people that values freedom. He is silenced and put away secretly when they don’t. A murder on the loose will be tracked down and punished in the people that values the protection of human life.

You and Me: The Determiner

The way a society acts is determined by the wills and consent of the people living in it. The way the people act is influenced by other people. Family, personalities, and opinions influence the things that we value. The more time we spend with someone, the more we become like them. 

You and Me: The Improvement

Any improvements must come from you and me. The change comes from a single person.

Raise Your Family

Family is the number one way to improve culture. Few people spend as much consistent time with anyone else. On top of that, the minds of children are much more impressionable when they’re young. Therefore, the things they learn under their parent’s tutelage have a powerful impact on who they become. Raise your family to value what society needs.

Be an Example

The way we live sheds off on our equals. People notice how we live and what we value. They often find one or two qualities they admire. Many people have been changed and affected by our examples. Be an example to those around you.

How to Improve Society

Live the values you think society should emulate. People will be influenced accordingly.

You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty. – Mahatma Gandhi 

This post was written to refocus the world’s attention on the importance of our family and friends in each other’s lives. The inspiration came from an article on Familius.com. Familius is a family oriented publisher seeking to help families be happier.

Just Married

I got married last night. . . or at least that's what by-standards in the Stadium Terrace parking lot thought this morning as they headed off to work or school. I woke up this morning to find quite a surprise waiting for me in the parking lot. My car was decorated in sticky notes, flowers, and half oreos, all wrapped up in plastic. With a "just married" sign plastered on the hood, it looked like a veritable honeymoon car.

The story goes thus-ly: Last night, for FHE, we had a huge water balloon fight. Due to the fact that I came out on top, a certain person and her accomplice felt it their personal duty to gather together a task force to take out Jeepy. And take out Jeepy they did. So my hat's off to them for that one. They left a few clues, but they go by the name "The Sisterhood." But I have managed to figure out a few of them by the notes and the pictures. I left a little something, something on the window of the ring leader's car. A symbol of sorts, . . . no more of a promise. Let this video be yer warning.

The Swinging Rope to Tears in Terabithia

Okay, I have something to say. And when I have something to say, I usually want to blabber about it till I’m blue in the face. And just as long as the people I’m telling the story to nod their heads, look me in the eye, and give me a few good “mmhmm’s” or “oh yeah’s” like they’re following along, I’m content. Be forewarned, it doesn’t have a lot to do with the point of this blog, but I want to write about this all the same.

Okay, so have you read/watched The Bridge to Terabithia? If you haven’t, stop what you’re doing, go read/watch it, and then come back. Because there is something spoiling in here.

….

Go on, get out of here.

…

For those that stayed tuned in, sit down, strap in, and start mindlessly agreeing with me. I watched the movie for the first time today. I know it’s been out forever, but I still want to talk about it.

Okay, so first of all, there wasn’t a bridge till the very end. What was up with that? I felt a little misled (although you can totally take a metaphoric approach to that and say that the bridge was when they crossed the river and entered Terabithia. Sorry, tangent. I’ll return).

Second of all, I have a love-hate relationship with that movie right now, and I hope you’ll understand why. It’s really sad, but it is so true to life that you can’t help but relate to and love it.

I was COMPLETELY blindsided by the unfortunate event that befell Leslie while Jess went to the art museum. I was in shock when his parents told him the news. It didn’t make sense. I wanted to cry.

What the heck? Leslie and Jess were the best of friends. They had rough moments, but you couldn’t find a better set of friends. They overcame bullies together, kept each other fit by running everywhere they went, and created an entire world with nothing but a few two-by-fours, nails, and a few blankets. They were the two kids down the block that you expected to grow old together, like these guys:

There was no question in my mind that, like Carl and Ellie, they would 1) prepare an adventure book, 2) fix-up the tree house into a permanent home, and 3) plan to visit Paradise Falls together...or something similar.

Until the unthinkable happens, and we lose “Ellie” all over again. I hate it. It’s like a punch in the stomach, a slap in the face. It’s so hard to take, because we’ve learned to love Leslie.

That’s also why I love it though. The relationship and subsequent tragedy is so easy to relate to. You and I have built up extremely close relationships with the people we come to consider our best friends (even if they are rocky friendships to begin with). We push, create with, and share some of our best moments them, propelling us into a friendship that we hope will last forever. Unfortunately, some of these relationships end because of unexpected loss, offense, or distance that pulls these friends apart. Some are shocking and unexpected, while others are drawn out and unnoticed. It’s the shocking ones that affect us the most though, and we’re often left with long-lasting sadness because of it.

Unfortunately, some of these relationships end because of unexpected loss, offense, or distance that pulls these friends apart. Some are shocking and unexpected, while others are drawn out and unnoticed. It’s the shocking ones that affect us the most though, and we’re often left with long-lasting sadness because of it.

The Bridge to Terabithia was one of those shocking ones that reminded me that the people I grow to love can be torn away from me in an instant, at any given time. What a scary thought that is. It’s so scary that I refuse to ever let myself think about it. That doesn’t mean it couldn’t. I virtually experienced that along with Jess as Leslie was taken away and served as a sad reminder to take advantage of every moment you have with those that you’re close with.

I am reminded of this in other movies as well. Like when Frodo leaves Sam behind in the Lord of the Rings, the crew leaves the apartment behind in Friends, Marley dies in Marley & Me, and Gerry virtually dies a second time in P.S. I Love You. I’ve been heard to say that I hate when stories end, and I think that the reason I hate them so much is because I feel like I lose the new friends that I’ve gained through the stories. A lot of them I’ll never see again, and it leaves me empty and sad for the loss.

Let me know what you think. Do you run into the same issues?

P.S. A lot of these links are random association that I had while writing this.

Courage

A story is told .... that a college student was once assigned to write a 10 page term paper on an ancient Roman value. The point of the paper was to show the professor that they understood the value completely, by giving definitions and examples. This student chose courage as his topic and wrote his paper. The due date came, he turned his assignment in and hoped for the best. Later, his professor was astonished when he found his paper. There were just five words: the first and last name of the student and one sentence that read, "This is courage." 10 blank pages followed.

If only college were really that easy. I've been there. It's not! Writing 4 page papers (4 full pages) at 10 when the paper is do at 12... been there, done that, so over it.

Putting that aside, I think this story makes a good point. This student obviously understands what courage means. Turning in a blank assignment is committing GPA suicide. The average student would rather gable on about nonsense and get at least something, then turn in virtually nothing and risk a 0. No one would dare do it. Teachers know this too, and they suffer through the bad ones to give a student at least some credit. But coming across ten empty pages carefully stacked and stapled together must have shocked him, to say the least, for two reasons:

1) This student broke the cardinal rule of at least writing 10 pages of crap, and
2) he risked his entire grade on just five words, five words that were read in 2 seconds but generated enough respect that he passed with flying colors. That risk alone showed the teacher that he understood what it meant to be courageous.

I do not know if this story is true, but it is an example of courage none-the-less.

Courage comes in many forms: a courage to fight; a courage to stand down; a courage to defend the things you believe, at the chance of ridicule; and a courage to do hard things, at the prospect of certain failure.

Talk with an entrepreneur or a new business owner, and you'll find a person who now lives their life by courage. Consider first what it might be like to quit everything. Leave behind a financially secure job that pays the bills and builds your savings. Then consider pursuing a dream with nothing but the money in your bank account and a few people crazy enough to believe in your vision. I used to wonder why people do it? I think I've found the answer. They've found something that they love. They love it because it is either 1) their passion, or 2) not working for someone else.  Most people don't have the courage to take that step. Unfortunately, some don't even have the courage to find a career in their passion. Larry Smith thinks that this will make most people fail to have a great career.

C.S. Lewis said, "Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point." It is difficult to live a life consistent with our beliefs (whether they be moral, religious, secular, or a combination of them all), and everyone's virtues will be tested. For every person that believes that it is wrong to steal, they will be faced with a situation where it will seem the only thing to do. Every person that believes it wrong to have an abortion will will be confronted about their belief. And every person that believes in God will feel like they are left alone in their toughest trials.

Courage is the ability to stand up for what you believe in, in these situations. Do the right think and don't look back. A courageous person doesn't believe in the phrase, "I can't." They may have said it, but they don't really believe it. If you ask them if they've done something hard, they might say, "Not yet, but thanks for the idea!"

So next time you think you can't do something, ask yourself first, am I just too scared to do it? If you are, then reconsider how great it would be to accomplish it, then have the courage to do it.

P.S.A lesson on courage is touched upon in Veronica Roth's book Divergence. It is a very good book that I can only describe as Hunger Games-esque, with a dash of addicting.

Discerning Good

I strive to find a balance between doing good on my own accord, doing good based on Spiritual promptings, and ignoring temptations from the adversary. It’s a hard and confusing battle at times, because both sides fight equally hard to be heard. The trouble is, they all sound like me. The Lord speaks to us in our own language and temptations come through our thoughts. Funny huh? It’s hard to discern voices at times. Sometimes it affects the way others look at me I swear. If I get a small prompting to take an alternative route when driving, I will often war with myself if it was a real prompting and will spend some time pulling “U-es” until I finally get frustrated and just move on. I wish I could tell in an instant what I need to do. This is my first step in learning how to discern inspiration better.

It starts with a scripture I read in Moroni. “The Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.”

This scripture is simple, yet incredibly helpful. It confirms first that there are really only two outside influences vying for our attention. The first is God, and he will only tell you to do things that persuade you to do good, or believe in Christ. The second is the adversary, and he pretty much covers everything else. The trick is, when an idea comes, we need to be able to recognize what influence that idea has over us. Will it entice us to do what we know is right? Or will it entice us to do evil? (or are we not sure). The best way to know in these circumstances is to have a firm testimony of the gospel combined with intelligent scripture study.

With a testimony, you can feel the influence of the Spirit stronger in your life. He is more recognizable to you because you are familiar with his presence.

With intelligent scripture study—by that I mean scripture study where you actually pay attention with a desire to learn—you get to know God, and everything he expects from you. When you clearly understand what he expects from you, you can discern more quickly the Spirit’s guiding hand over Satan’s.

Could I have helped someone out if I had just followed the prompting? Yes, I very well could have. I didn’t though, so I’ll never know. The only thing I can do now is put those experiences behind me and move on.

Often we want to remember the pain of missed opportunities in the vein of reminding ourselves to never do that again. If you do this though, you end up beating yourself up so much that you become helpless when you are needed to help someone else the most. Trust me, you won’t forget your mistakes, let them go when you can and prepare yourself for the next opportunity. It’s the only way to truly learn from them.

Tell Me You Can't...

... after watching what this guy did in his late 50s!

I'm sure you've seen this video before, but it is a truly inspiring tale that I think needs reminding. Ignore the pixilation in this low quality video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt7w8hV90SI

If that doesn't give you inspiration, I don't know what can. Most think they can't run farther than a mile, let alone try to swim one, or bike two. Imagine trying to do an Iron Man (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and then run a marathon); then try doing double the work as you bring someone else along. That's an unconquerable spirit if I've ever heard of one.

I like to wonder how much faster he could complete it without the extra weight. My competitive drive begs and pleads him to try it, just to see how much better he would do. He'd probably blow most of his competitors out of the water, literally.

I highly doubt he wonders that though. I don't think he would ever consider it. He does it to spend time with his son. His motivation was to take his son to new heights, not to see what he could do alone. He helped his paraplegic son accomplish something he never thought he could. And his son loves it. If you watch closely, you can see him waving his arm in the wheel chair and moving his feet, like he's running too, while in his father's arms.

When I think to myself that I have too much on my plate, that I can't possibly accomplish what I'm hoping to, I think back to this man. I wonder what it must have been like for him to get up every morning and train twice as long and twice as hard as anyone else who competed against him in one of the most physically demanding races in the world. What a trial of will. Shows what you can accomplish though with a firm resolve and a hopeful attitude.

If you're interested in seeing what it takes to train for an Iron Man, check out my friend (Kristopher's) blog. http://actthedream.blogspot.com/. He's currently training for an Iron Man and is using this blog to hold himself accountable for his training. Help him stay accountable by leaving an appropriate comment or two if you already know him. Kristopher has been my motivation to do hard things (including my masochistic running habits) over the past few years. He has taught me to push myself to my potential in every aspect of my life. He truly knows how to work and sets a good example of diligence to everyone he meets. I owe him a thank you for that.