Sunscreen

Remember this song?





I came across the lyrics for this song while stumbling last night, and it really got me thinking.  Thinking about what a difference ten years can make in a person's life.  Thinking about the person I was when I first heard this song.  Thinking about the person I am now, and all that I've gone through to get here.  The good, the bad, the ugly (admit it, you knew it was coming), the happy.  Thinking about what I wish I could go back and tell myself at 18, that might make my journey a little easier.  Thinking that I'm not sure I really want to change what happened to me, because all of those ten years have made me who I am.  Falling in and out of love, going to college, meeting the professor who quite possibly saved me (another post for another day), growing up, finally meeting the man of my dreams. . .

I loved this song at 18.  It made sense to me then.  I thought, I've got the world handled, I know it all.  It makes me wonder what I'll think when I listen to this song again in another 10 years.

Religion

Yep, I'm delving into the taboo of religion.  This post is not meant to offend anyone, but rather to share my thoughts on religion, and maybe open up a dialogue between others.  And in all fairness, I should tell you that this post was brought upon by my recent reading of the book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.

I believe that every person has their own individual journey to find God.  And I'm not sure that using the word God does justice to the many different paths that are out there.  God, Allah, Bhagwan, El, etc. are all valid ways of talking to the higher being of our universe.  I use the word God, because it is what I am most comfortable with.  God, to me, denotes power, love, charity, and kindness. 

Anyway, back to the journey aspect.  I believe that each person has a special way of connecting with God; their own journey.  In simplest terms, it's akin to driving somewhere.  You have a starting spot and a destination.  In between those constants, there are many different roads you can take to get there.  It doesn't really matter if you drive to Nevada from Utah by way of Kansas, because the final destination is the same.

This is what I've come to equate religion too.  Some people need a more structured path to find God, and some people do better without turn-by-turn navigation.  Does that make the end result any less spectacular?  In my mind, no.

Do I think any one religion is better than the others?  No.  Do I think that one religion might be a better fit for an individual than another?  Definitely.  And right now, I'm trying to find a religion that fits me and my life better than how I was raised.

I am a "retired" Mormon (Latter Day Saint), and though I hold nothing against the members of that church and their belief system, I don't feel like it's a good fit for my life at the moment.  I say "retired" because in this great state of mine (Utah) religion is a definite driving force. "Are you a member?" is a question I field regularly. (On a side note, this question has always made me laugh.  Utah Mormons are so sure that everyone knows what they are talking about, they don't ask the more specific question "Are you a member of the LDS faith?")  "Retired" is the easiest way I've found of letting people know I don't hate their religion while still stating that I don't feel I belong there anymore.

So world, what do you think?  How do you view religion?

New addiction

Actually, I have two new addictions (and neither one is Facebook!).  The first addiction is stumble.  It's so much fun, and pretty much the best time waster I've found.  I spend at least a half hour on it every night. 

The second new addiction came about because of the first.  I was stumbling around a few nights ago, and I found this : funny farm.  It's a word association game, and it's been driving me crazy.  I am way to competitive to have found this game.  I must know what all of the little brown boxes have in them. 

It starts out with a box labeled "on the farm" and lines radiating out of it.  You type words that you think relate to the clue, and if you are right, the empty brown box turns green with your word.  And then, more lines and boxes appear.  It's hugely addicting, and I know I won't be able to stop until I find every last word.

Go ahead, try it.  And if you figure out what the Pink Panther and a fox have in common, please let me know!