Turning Over a New Leaf

I came home on Monday and informed my roommate that I was turning over a new leaf. He was quick to inform me that it was too late to turn over a new leaf, they were all already covered in snow.I immediately realized that this must be a metaphor for my life, or some subtle commentary on my age and the fact that I am still single. You know what they say, "Can't teach an old dog new tricks." I'm actually not quite sure if my roommate is clever to have intended the metaphorical or subtle meanings. He often says things and then recognizes how he has unintentionally been clever. (Don't worry, we previously discussed his form of "accidental cleverness" and have already agreed to its existence, so I am not saying anything he doesn't already know.) So, of course this conversation simply confirmed my rejection of New Year's resolutions and I immediately recanted my thought to "turn over a new leaf." Yep. Sorry folks. You are stuck with the same me for another year, because of course you cannot make course corrections mid-year. Why then would we have New Year's? What would the diet, exercise, nicotine patch, and financial planning industries do if we took away their major marketing campaign? (I'm pretty sure they're the people who invented New Year's in the first place.)

So, I plan to just stick with my traditional New Year's plan. In rejecting resolutions, I have decided every year for the last few years to pick up a new vice. This year's chosen vice: Dr. Pepper. But let's be honest, I will probably make it as long on that New Year's vice as the regular person will make on their New Year's resolution. I've never been much of a soda drinker and I'll probably quickly get tired of it. Plus the one possible side benefit would be the caffeine to help me get through the afternoon studying, but for as long as I can remember, caffeine has always had the opposite effect on me of increasing my drowsiness instead of increasing my energy. Though I do have to say, that Dr. Pepper is delicious.

This whole incident was even more humorous in light of the fact that that night at home evening we each had to share our New Year's resolutions. Being that I didn't have one and had decided not to have one, even as recently as two hours prior to home evening, I had to come up with something quick. Of course I chose the first thing that I recently started and plan to do throughout the year, not as a resolution, but as a hobby. I told everyone I was taking up blogging for 2012 and the kid next to me verbally scoffed at my idea. I refrained from slugging him in the shoulder since I don't know him that well, but I doubt that I as tactfully refrained from rolling my eyes. It's a good thing I had chosen not to have a New Year's resolution, I might have felt obligated to try and be more patient with others.

Maybe next year the idea of resolutions will be more appealing, but I have a suspicion that by then the leaves will all be covered in snow again.

(So that you don't all think that I am entirely cynical and jaded, I will share one of my absolutely favorite Mormon Messages videos.)

Maybe it's not the thought that counts . . .

So, I decided to start this blog. I already have two other blogs. One that I planned on updating once a month (which hasn't happened) and another that I have never gotten around to writing the first post. However, I am realizing I have all these thoughts and experiences I want to share and there doesn't seem to be anyone around with whom to share them. This blog you have unfortunately stumbled upon is the generic "Richard's Life Ramblings." By the way, I hate pocket change.

Well, as mentioned, there are experiences that I just need to share and so that brings me to my first post.

Somewhere between two years and eighteen months ago (and for some of the it may have even been longer), I decided to put together some packages to send of to friends serving missions. It was for a wide range of people, including family, pseudo-family, friends, and former EFY participants. I purchased tie tacks, scripture marking pens, CDs, pez dispensers, jerky, gum, and tons of Halloween candy. I addressed all the packages and filled them, but set them aside since I felt obliged to write each one of them a  personal letter. After all, what missionary wants to get a package without a letter?

So there they sat and time passed by as they waited for letters to be written. Since it was now Christmas, the Halloween candy just wouldn't do. So I ate it and replaced it all with Christmas candy, thinking I will put a Christmas card in each package. Surely I could find the time to write in a Christmas card for each one. After all, they're much shorter than standard letters. But before I knew it, it was Valentine's Day and Christmas candy would no longer work.

Let's just say that I went through a lot of holidays, some holidays more than once, and I ate a lot of candy. Eventually the packages were forgotten until I moved. That's when I discovered a box containing all kinds of packages that were all lacking personal letters and were never sent. I had two years worth of packages I had thrown together with object lessons that were all addressed to former EFY participants, about eight missionary packages, some holiday cards to send to my grandmother, and a Valentine's package to send to a friend. All unsent. All forgotten in a box.

Well, needless to say, all the missionaries are home now. Every one of them and all the former EFY participants are probably on missions. So, if any of you are reading this (Matthew, Carli, Sam, Brad, TJ, Cami Jo, Jake, Sarah, Grandma, and any old EFY participants) I did think of you. But then, you'll probably never know that. It really isn't the thought the counts if nothing ever comes of the thought, that is nothing besides the cavities and weight I probably gained from all that candy.