Happy Blogger-versary!

Today I hit my year mark blogging.
I laugh that I mocked people who blog.
And now I blog blog.

In my first blogging year:
I've been called a feminist.
I got set apart to be married.
I discovered Princess #4.
I celebrated my first kiss.
I uncovered a different kind of resurrection.
I was in the presence of some pretty amazing people.
I got "called out" from the pulpit for being childless (remember that classic?)
I found Jesus at the end of a 5K.
I damned the devil.
Orcas Island. Enough said.
I moved. I'm still not sure how that all happened.
I filled a whole in my heart..

It's been a great journey.
And now I need to take a little break to finish up the book that is overdue...
AND I HAVE to finish my thesis.
Hilarious graduation ceremony (just for me & Jake) depends on it.

Leave a "Happy Blogger-versary" comment and I'll add you to the invite list.
(come on, humor me.)

I'll be back soon!

The Jimmy B's of the world

Do we remember Jimmy B?
Do we remember Erin's comment/prediction that "maybe he is still single out there somewhere"?
Well, my friends, we have found him.
And...HE IS.

I just reconnected with Jimmy B on facebook (yes, the 3rd party application). How much do we love that?
I've been sharing the story when I speak to young women...and I even included it in the book I'm FINALLY finishing. I finished that part tonight and when I was done, I was just wishing I knew where he was.

I've wanted to thank him for his little 13-yr-old-self that made such a lasting impression on me.

And tonight, I got my chance to say "THANK YOU".
There is something very sweet about that for me.

I typed in his name to the facebook search.
A much bigger/older guy (than I remember) in Indiana was the only match.
I sent a message asking if he by chance went to South Oldham Middle School in the 80's.

He replied with this:
Hold on...I'm grabbing the old yearbook! Holy Crap! I remember you! I just found where you wrote in my yearbook! How have you been? Where are you now? What's up?

I briefly told him the story (that I was sure he wouldn't remember) and how now, unbeknownst to him, thousands of teenage girls all over have heard about his heroic act and applauded & cheered for his name.
I just thought he should know.
(and yes, I totally think we'll get married now. Would that make a great story or what!?!)

It's "Thank You" week.
If there is a "Jimmy B" in your life, will you try and track him down?
Make sure he/she knows what they did when you were 8...or 12...or a nerdy 13 yr old with a bad short perm and braces and leg-warmers that didn't match your outfit...impacted you...blessed you...saved you...
The Jimmy B's of the world deserve to know.

Tonight was one of the sweetest "thank you"s I've ever been able to express.

(oh, but I didn't tell him "I heart you"...that stays just between us girls...at least for now...)

Together Again

I had a yummy belated birthday lunch today with Flicka. She's been in my life since 1988 and I'm so ridiculously grateful for her. The Lord has used her a gazillion times when he's needed to send me a message. We don't get nearly as much "face time" as we used to (getting married and being a mom will do that to you...HER, not me...) but she never fails to leave a voicemail when I need it. She always knows what I need.

It was good to be together again.

Tonight I had a commitment to attend a dinner. As I was getting ready, I was wishing I had someone to go with me. I opened my jewelry box and saw a bracelet that I got from my Grandma Christensen years ago. I was thinking how tonight was the kind of thing Grandpa loved to hear about. I've been missing him. I've been missing her.
And so, I decided to take Grandma along with me.
I wore her bracelet.

One of my all-time favorite people arrived to the dinner shortly after I did. I showed her my bracelet.
"I thought Grandma would get a kick out of being here tonight."
Virginia pointed to her pearl broach. "This is my mother's. She's here too."
"They are together again!" we squeeled with delight.

You see, Louise Nebeker Christensen(my grandma) and Marjorie Pay Hinckley (Virginia's mom) were good friends growing up. REALLY good friends. (Sister Hinckley is in the center front. My grandma is on the far right.)

And these girls remained really good, get together once a month for lunch friends, throughout their lives.(My grandma is on the left. You can't miss Sister Hinckley, can you?)

I remember several years ago after my Grandma's major stroke, I was at the house with her alone. Grandma couldn't speak yet.
The phone rang.
I answered it.
It was Sister Hinckley. She asked how grandma was.
I started to cry.
She said, "Tell Louise I'm on the phone and that I love her." I walked over and knelt down by Grandma (who still wasn't very responsive) and said, "Grandma, it's Marjorie. She wants you to know she loves you." Grandma looked at me and tried to smile, wanted to speak (and tried to say something) and then started to cry.
I knelt there and held Grandma's hand.
She was frustrated; I could tell.
But grateful her friend had called; I could tell.
She knew she was loved.
It's one of my most treasured memories with my grandma.

Marjorie was Grandma's Flicka.

And so there was just something really sweet tonight thinking that in some little way they had a little reunion tonight. Their paths have crossed again on earth because Virginia and I are connected.

And I couldn't help but feel Grandma (and thus Grandpa) near.
And be truly grateful.
We were together again.

Fruity pebbles, milk and a little bit of honesty

I was leaving Paradise with one of my favorite people tonight. I needed some tomato soup...and I needed to talk. Happily she needed to talk too.

We had a night of really talking...being honest...sharing "issues". I like her because she says things like "You're so 'together' and so it's weird for me to find out you have issues too." I like that she thinks I'm "so together".

(I once had a boy who said he liked me because it was refreshing to meet a girl without issues. Note to all boys: all girls have issues. If you think they don't, they just haven't been honest enough yet. Can I get an "amen", sisters?)

It feels good to be honest with people.
It feels good to just be "real".
It feels good.

On the way out to the car, a young kid (how pathetic that a young guy in his early 20's is a "young kid" to me) approached.

"Hey, I was just wondering if you had...I'm just headed down to Smith's and I wanted to buy some Fruity Pebbles and some milk."

"You want Fruity Pebbles?"

"Yeah."

"Really? Fruity Pebbles? Why?"

"I'm just in the mood for Fruity Pebbles."

"What do you do? What's your story?"

"I'm homeless."

"And you want Fruity Pebbles?"

"Yeah. I'm not asking for money or anything...I just want some Fruity Pebbles."

There was just something refreshing about the homeless kid wanting Fruity Pebbles and saying it. He didn't have to share a sad story (though he probably had one). He just wanted some of those yummy colored high fructose corn syrup krispies. And who can blame him? That high fructose corn syrup can be addicting.

I'm such a sucker for honesty. Really. You know that guy who sometimes stands downtown with a "I'll be honest. I'm going to buy beer with your money" sign? Yeah, sometimes I want to give him money because at least he's being honest. I just really appreciate honesty.

Don't get me wrong. I can stretch the truth as good as the next guy if it makes a story better (the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, Dad.)but for the most part, I get physically ill if I'm less than honest with someone...even if I didn't actually lie, but I used the truth in such a way as to make them think something different than what is really true...I feel sick and almost always end up confessing and setting things straight.

Because honesty feels good.
"Real" feels good.

And if you're honest, I'll give you a dollar.
My little contribution to the Fruity Pebbles and milk fund.
Just to show how much I appreciate a little bit of honesty.

BB Lesson #3: unplug to get recharged

I didn't really experience the "eery quiet" until Sunday. And "eery" probably isn't a fair word.
Disturbing?
Awkward?
Needed?

Needed.

The Wednesday after my Grandpa died, I had a little breakdown. Frankly, it was a long time coming. I had been feeling overwhelmed by my life and so when it hit, it poured. It happened at work (which is always unfortunate) and when I left the office early and finally had a minute alone, I said out loud (and just assumed God was listening), "I don't know how to do everything You want me to be doing right now." I must have said that half a dozen times through the tears.

And then I felt like He said,
"I'm not asking you to do it all."

WHAT?
But, You HAVE to be.
Otherwise...

You see, part of what keeps me going during the frantic hectic times in my life is this belief deep down that I'm living the life I'm supposed to be living. I have this long list of things I'm involved in and they all seem important and good. If HE wants me doing all of them, surely He'll provide a way for me to do that.

But, if He doesn't...

So the last few weeks I've been thinking about this from time to time but of course, haven't had time to breathe because of all the things I'm doing (oh, the irony).

Until Sunday.

Sunday was just nothing but quiet once I got back from Phoenix.
I couldn't call anyone.
No one could call me.
And I was left with my thoughts.

Could it be that I stay busy to fill a void in my life?

Yeah, could be.

And I know that I AM involved in a lot of good things.
And right now, truly, I can't imagine what I'd give up.

But, when I realized I was "unplugged" from my life because of my BlackBerry crash, the world didn't end. Time didn't stand still.

But, I did.

I stood still and looked at everything I'm doing.
And while a lot of it is good.
And much of it is better.
How much of it is best?

Something about getting unplugged from my life...just for 24 hours...cleared away the frantic pace and in that needed quiet, I got recharged.

I don't know what I'm going to do yet.

I don't know how to give less time to a job I feel so passionate about.
I don't know how to let up on a masters degree when I'm a thesis & 5 weeks away from completion.
I don't know how to say I'm not going to finish a book when I've committed to finish it.
I don't know how to turn down an assignment on a Church committee I feel I'm supposed to be a part of.
I don't feel right about saying "no" when I'm asked to speak somewhere if I can make a difference.

But, I DO know that I've chosen this life for myself.
And there's probably something about this busy-ness that I must like because I keep choosing it over and over and over again.

And if He is really not asking me to do it all, then I need to figure out what part of all of it I'm REALLY meant to do...where He really needs me...and how much of it I'm doing just for ME...my ego (because I'm sure I have one)...my need to be needed (because I do)...my attempt to fill the void (because there is).

(Was that too much? Was my mic on?)

I think I need to make some changes.
It might sound counter intuitive, but getting unplugged helped me get recharged.
I just needed some quiet to figure it out.

Yet another lesson from the BB crash.
(and, yes, this is the last one...for now.)

BB Lesson #2: the danger of 3rd party applications

On Friday night my BlackBerry crash in the middle of my event was a huge big deal (because your phone is literally how you run the event...it's how you talk to your AV team...the facility people...your team coordinator...the presenters).

Because it had happened twice before (within a week, thank you very much), I knew the drill: Pull the battery out. Count to 10. Insert battery. Wah-lah!

But, this time.
Nothing.
I had nothing.
Just a blank screen with an error message.
I couldn't even get the menu.
Just this: "Incompatible or corrupt system."

I was pretty frustated (cute kind tall black AV guy, notwithstanding).
And so I prayed.

I told Heavenly Father what was going on (in case He was busy focusing on someone else and hadn't seen it), explained why it was such a problem (in case He really didn't understand), told Him what I needed (in case He needed to hear me say it) and then pleaded for His help.

I took out the battery.
Counted to 10.
Put it back in.

Nothing.

So, I tried it again.
This time I told Heavenly Father that I KNEW He could fix my phone. I told Him how much I needed a miracle...I told Him I knew it WOULD be a miracle. And because I was speaking the next day, I even threw in a "think of the impact for those girls if I can tell them about this miracle? that even something seeminly unimportant...because it was important to me was important to YOU...and You fixed my phone."

I took out the battery.
Counted to 10.
Put it back in.

Nothing.

I was feeling pretty discouraged at this point and talked to cute kind tall black AV guy (CKTBAVG) a little more. He tried to help but we just couldn't do anything to fix it.

And then for some reason the story of Mary Fielding came to my mind. I had always heard the story of the pioneer woman who prayed over a sick ox and it was healed (though a quick lds.org search has a different version of the story. And a google search found a truly needed talk. PhD in Mormon Women History Reeder, can you confirm?)

ANYWAY, the point being that I really truly had this moment where I believed I could ask God to heal, literally heal, my phone. I found a quiet place where I could pray and asked Him for this miracle. I even told Him I would keep it just between us, if necessary. I just SO needed this miracle. It was important to me...to the success of the event...I pleaded. And I just KNEW He could grant it.

But, this time, I waited.
Because I knew I couldn't really handle Him not doing it.
Not this time.
Not again.

I took out the battery.
Counted to like 100.
Put it back in.

And...

When I got back to my room that night, I was pretty discouraged. 90 minutes on a tech support line produced nothing. But, when I told the guy about the error message, he said, "The only thing that would produce that kind of message would be a 3rd party application."

"WHAT?"

"A 3rd party application. Something that wasn't on the phone when you got it...you would have had to install it on your own."

He tried to help.
I finally went to bed.
I knew it was going to be a long morning.
And I was just frustrated and tired and still sufferring from my BPPV.

I got to the event and CKTBAVG had brought a much needed cable in one last attempt to help. We tried. He really tried hard. And nothing. Again. But, how sweet is this? He gave me his personal cell for me to use all day (yes, I love him.)

We started the event. And during the first presentation, I was trying to clear my thoughts and preparing for my own message. I heard John Hilton III (who I also love, but in a different way)talking about scriptures and where we spend our time...and in the middle of it all, I had an awakening.

You see, shortly after getting my BlackBerry, I chose to install the Facebook Mobile Application (i.e. a "3rd party application"). Before it installed, I read some warning about it not being officially authorized...might cause problems...they weren't liable... I even remember seeing that someone on Facebook said they had to uninstall it on their BB because the application crashed his device. But, surely, I was different, right? So I put it on and a few weeks later, the phone crashed.
I synced it up again.
I put facebook mobile on AGAIN.
A few days later, the phone crashed.
I syned it up again.
I put facebook mobile on AGAIN...
and 24 hours later, it crashed...again...on Friday night.

And then the spirit taught me something that I then went out and taught the girls:

Sometimes we allow "3rd party applications" into our life...things that aren't part of us to begin with. We choose to let them in, or "install" them. Sometimes they even come with a warning of sorts. And we might get warnings from others. But we think it doesn't apply to us. Surely we are different. Surely we will be okay.

But, here's the thing. ANY "3rd party application" that we install will create interference in our ability to communicate with our Father in Heaven. And sometimes, once we've let it in, even though He CAN fix everything and make it right, He won't. There are natural consequences to our choices and when there is a lesson we need to learn, He allows those natural consequences...even when it's inconvenient...even when we plead for it to be otherwise...to take their course.

He CAN fix it because He's God.
But, sometimes He WON'T fix it for the same reason.

I have a few "3rd party applications" in my life.
I've let them in.
I've let them stay.
The longer I live with them, the shorter the time between the "crashes", it seems.

And now, it's time to uninstall.

I made a promise to those girls on Saturday...and to my Father in Heaven...that I would do just that. I invited them to do the same.

Because, there are dangers in 3rd party applications.
Though God never stops talking to us, 3rd party applications can cause interference...and frustration...and discouragement...so that we can't hear Him.

And just like we choose to install those things in our lives, we have to choose to uninstall them too.

Just one more thing I've learned from my BB crash.

BB lesson #1: God's line is always open

It's almost an eery quiet when you're cut off from the world.
But in that quiet, a few lessons from the BlackBerry Crash of 2008 have been born.
(I know that makes it sound dramatic, but I am a third child.)

Seriously, I don't even remember life before my cell phone. I hate to admit that. I remember that I didn't have one, though, until I got hired at Deseret Book (May 1998, can you even believe that?).

That means that I went through all of college, my mission, a move to Hartford...all of it without a cell phone. That means if someone wanted to talk to me, they had to know where I physically was and they had to know the number for that location. If I wanted to talk, I had to find a phone. (am I getting close to saying I walked to school uphill both ways in the snow?)

My dad travelled most of his working life (he just retired and that is another post for another day). He and my mom had to schedule times to talk. "I'll be at this hotel at this number and I'll be in my room by 8." Can you imagine? How inconvenient!

I'm kind of fascinated realizing how inconvenient it is to not be able to pick up a phone and talk (and when I moved, I decided to do away with a landline once and for all and so I don't even have a home phone). Really. I've taken it for granted. Because, right now there are people I'd like to talk to and I can't. And I just don't like it one little bit.(TAMMY: I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU ARE HAVING A GIRL? WAHOOOO!)

Technology has changed the way we live and interact and talk. And so now, in many ways, it has control over our very ability to communicate...at least the speed at which we can.

It occurred to me last night, as I knelt to pray, how blessed we are that technology has not impacted our communication with God. And it never will.

It's amazing to consider that with all of the advances in civilization and all of the attempts man has made to make life easier and communication faster, man has not been able to do anything to change or advance our communication with God.
Man has not.
And man cannot.

It's a simple truth, I realize.
But, in a changing world, I'm grateful to know that while I might be cut off from voice to voice communication today, my ability...my privilege to communicate with God has never changed. It never will change.

Other communication lines might close but God's line is always open.

Just one little thing I've learned from my BB crash.

Hello, bandwagon. My name's Laurel.

I've discovered a new delightful blog from a woman I would so make go to lunch with me...if she didn't think that made me a stalker.

And so I'm going to do it too...
ONE WORD.

Where is your mobile phone? "time out".
Where is your significant other? missing
Your hair color? purchased
Your mother? loyal
Your father? retired
One favorite thing? Gospel
Your dream last night? over
Your dream goal? family
The room you're in? airport
Your hobby? writing (hmmm...I never actually knew that until just now)
Your fear? darkness
Where do you want to be in 6 years? on-plan
Where were you last night? phoenix
What you're not? liberal
One of your wish list items? (see #2)
Where you grew up? mom's-side
The last thing you did? blog
What are you wearing? clothes
Your TV? antennae
Your pets? none
Your computer? here
Your mood? calm
Missing someone? absolutely
Your car? CX-7
Something you're not wearing? frown
Favorite drink? H2O
Your summer? Orcas
Love someone? completely
Your favorite color? blue
When was the last time you laughed? today
When was the last time you cried? yesterday

Now for the lessons of the BlackBerry...

Totally out of touch

Completely.
Totally.
And I gotta tell you.
I don't like the way it feels.

I'm out of town.
And I'm out of touch.

It's an interesting paradox to be blessed and cursed by the conveniences of modern technology all at the same time.

I have been "offline" for the past 24 hours. My BlackBerry totally crashed. Crashed and burned. And the thing about a "crashed and burned" BlackBerry (of course they don't mention this when you buy the thing and turn your life over to it) is that you can't just go into a store and replace it. No, they have to send you a new one. But they have to do that on a weekday. Which means I will remain "offline" until Tuesday afternoon.

This is my phone we're talking about.
The only connection I have to my life.
SO convenient to have everything at the touch of my fingertips.
But, now I'd give up the email and facebook and my browser...just to have a phone that works.

If you've tried to call.
If you've sent me a text.
If you've left a voicemail.
(gosh, I hope SOMEONE has)
I'm not ignoring you.
I'm not too busy.
I'm not blowing you off.

I'm just completely and totally out of touch and I don't like it one little bit.
(oh, and I totally want my mommy.)

(Lessons I'm learning...& the amazing event experience I had this weekend inspite of and oh, okay, almost because of my blasted BlackBerry...to come...)

God is even at the airport

Yes, you read that right.
(And I know I've noticed it before.)
He is here.
At least evidence of His love is.

I'm sitting here waiting for my flight to Phoenix (unless you are the guy who broke into my garage, in which case I will be home all weekend with my shotgun) and I can't help but see a few reminders that He loves me...

CHEETOS.
I haven't eaten today really and got a sandwich...and let myself get some cheetos. I love cheetos and I rarely let myself have them. But, Cheetos take me right back to 2nd grade for some reason...my reciprocal crush on Cory (who I loved until I saw him pick his nose during story hour)...Mrs Chinn who called me "honey" all the time (no one had ever called me that before) and everyone knew I was her favorite...For some reason Cheetos+2nd grade=Love.

SOUTHWEST.
Would you believe that I actually just heard a SW gate agent invite all the people on a particular flight to just come up to the gate..."no need to stand in line in your order. I'll just let you board first come, first serve." I thought "wow, what a customer service nightmare"...until...and I'm not kidding...ONE LONE passenger walked up for the flight. He looked around a little perplexed. The gate agent smiled and said, "come on board". Yes...a flight just left SLC for ONE person. How much do you love that? God does A LOT of things for just one...just for me.

MY BPPV.
I've actually meant to blog about this before. I have sufferred from BPPV twice...now three times. I woke up this morning with it again. I'm a little sick to my stomach (thus the comfort food of Cheetos) but I'll be okay until I can get back and get in to see a physical therapist. But, I've talked about it before...being a reminder of how one little thing (in this case a crystal in your semi-circular canal) can throw you off balance. And God has used it today as a reminder of the "one thing" I need to be working on. He loves me enough to tell me. And He's right.

"BYE" kid.
A little boy just got off a flight with his mom and as he passed all of us in the waiting area, he kept saying "bye. bye." to anyone he could make eye contact with. It brought instant smiles to everyone. Sometimes all it takes is a simple little thing like a "hi" (or in this case "bye") to spread the love. I should do that more often.

I'm sure there are more evidences of His love that I could notice.
But, now I need to notice it's nearly time to board.

Just because you can't admit it, doesn't mean it isn't true

I have a hard time admitting I wet the bed until I was 12.
But I did.
(Okay, then there was that one time in college.)

I have a hard time admitting I was in love with the same boy for 11 years.
But I was.
(Yes, Chris...it was 11.)

I have a hard time admitting that I am like the only person on the planet who didn't finish The Book of Mormon by the end of 2005.
But I didn't.
(That one still stings, actually...and I've NEVER admitted that to ANYONE. It's okay if you think less of me now...I totally understand.)


To borrow a scene from my all-time favorite movie:
"I have something to tell you. I didn't vote."
"What?"
"In the last mayoral election, when Rudy Giuliani was running against Ruth Messinger, I went to get a manicure and forgot to vote."
"Since when do you get manicures?"
"Oh, I suppose you could never be with a woman who gets manicures."
"Forget it. It's okay. I forgive you."
"You forgive me."

Um, yeah...
I'm a girl who seriously would consider breaking up with someone who didn't vote.
I'm a judger. I am.
Current events and politics are important to me. They are.
If you don't vote, I think you're dumb.
I'm a girl who votes in those weird elections in June that like only 23% of people participate in.
I'm a girl who's been following this election since the beginning of time.
I donated a portion of the proceeds from the sell of my house the day Palin was announced.
I think 2008 is possibly the most important election in my life-time.

But, apparently when you move, you have to re-register...even if you move within the same county.
Did you know that?
I did not.

But, apparently you can still cast a provisional ballot.
In other words, you simply show a valid photo ID with proof of your new address and they give you a ballot for your new district.
How convenient is that?
But, that would require that you HAVE proof of your new address.
I have a PO BOX.
I throw my utility bill away as soon as I pay it.
I haven't changed my driver's license yet.
Or my checks.

Oh, what? what's that you say?
Why not just drive out to Riverton and just vote out there where I am still registered?
That, my friends is called voter fraud.
And considering my recent run-in with the law, I thought it best I stay away from criminal activity for a while.

So, when you discover all of this at like 7:00 p.m. on election night (yes, mother, I vaguely remember you saying something to me about registering to vote when you were here) and the polls close at 8:00 p.m., it leaves you in a bit of a pickle.

I am in a pickle.
And...
well...
I didn't vote.

And just because I can't admit it, doesn't mean it isn't true.

Oh, the irony.
The bitter bitter irony.

Blast you, Ralph Waldo Emerson

You are always right...

"What lies behind us
and what lies before us
are small matters
compared to what lies within us."

Thanks. I needed that.


(on a completely unrelated topic, I realize I'm one of the few people on the planet who actually think McCain is going to win but I just had to get it in writing before the election. I was right about Palin being chosen for VP three weeks before it was announced and wish I had said so to prove my uncanny ability to foretell the future. Like...I'll be married in 2010...and I'll beat Hatch in his senate re-election in 2012...my father will soon decide to be a greeter for Wal-Mart...and I'm getting a pony for Christmas...like I said, an uncanny ability.)

Halloween & the pursuit of happiness

I have a belief that people are basically good.
And I believe there are more good & honest people in this country than not.

I believe that when given the chance, people will help others.
And when they know that they are needed, they will step up to the challenge.

Last night I needed to run some errands and I also needed to take advantage of my first weekend home in forever. In other words, I had a lot to do (and someday soon I'll write the funny story about the Verizon tech guy who totally got my number...and not just to pull up my account. wink. wink.)

And so, in an effort to support my least favorite holiday (no disrespect to your birthday, miss jamie), I, like any good citizen of the world left a lot of yummy free chocolate on my doorstep.

Yes, you heard me
free yummy chocolate...on my doorstep.
But, not without instructions:And when I got home, I saw that about a third of the candy was gone. I was tempted to bring it back inside and just dish it out like normal people, but decided to try a little experiment.

When given the chance to take as much free candy as a kid wanted to, would they do it? Or would they self-police and leave enough for others?

I'm happy to report that throughout the night, I heard kid after kid, read aloud my request and then appear to obey. There were a few "ahs" (kind of like "dang it") and one group of teenages laughed and probably took a handful.

But, no one stole the bag or dumped the candy into their pillowcase.
In fact, this morning, when I got up, there were FIVE candybars STILL in the bag. I'm not kidding.

FIVE STILL LEFT.

Why?
Because no one was sure who would be the last person and they wanted to leave something for whoever came next.

Why?
Because they could see that there was a limited amount of candybars and they wanted to make sure everyone had the chance to get some.

Why?
Because when people are given the freedom to be fair, they are.

A guy came up to me in the Whole Foods parking lot today and in his granola-ness said, "Lady, could you give me $3.00 so I can take a shower?"

Now, I have no idea why he would need money to take a shower. I don't know where he intended to go. But, I could tell he needed one and he only wanted $3.00 and I had $3.00 to give...and so I did.

Why?
Because I work hard for my money and I like the freedom to choose what to do with it. Sure, a fair amount of my money is already taken in taxes for various and sundry government projects. But, to my knowledge, none of those projects include guaranteeing everyone in America a shower.

And so, if I can help...and it's a legitimate need...I help.

But, what will happen when even more of my money is taken for even more various and sundry government projects? Projects that guarantee every American the "right" to a college education, a car, a house, utilities, retirement, etc., etc., etc.

I'm pretty sure if I knew of a government program that guaranteed my granola friend a shower, and I knew that I was already having a good portion of my money taken away to pay for such project, I'm pretty sure (in fact, I'm certain), I would have clung to those $3. Why? Because I "already gave" and probably would need every dollar I have left all the more.

I believe that when PEOPLE know they are needed because the government isn't taking care of everything, we step up on our own. We take care of each other. We are fair with each other. And when we know there is NOT an unlimited amount of resources, we self-police.

I really believe that.
(is that PollyAnna of me?)

And I just want to know that I'll always have $3 to give every time the guy in the lot asks for it.

That's what "the pursuit of happiness" means to me.
The free market works...
even on Halloween.