Thoughts on... sleep

What's sleep I ask myself? I haven't gotten enough of this the past couple of days. I heard people say that the optimal amount of sleep varies from person to person, but for me pretty much ANY sleep would be most beneficial. I think that I probably should be getting at least eight hours a night in order to stay at an optimal brain functionality. If only there were more hours in the day. How great would that be?

Imagine with me for just a second that we had an unlimited amount of time to finish homework comfortably and then sleep until our hearts content. We would never have to worry about being late to anything. On the other side of this argument, it seems that such a world with unlimited hours might be unproductive. I would probably oversleep and do too much of nothing. Although my exhausted body may say, "please take a moment and rest" I also know that too much sleep can be a bad thing.

I guess that the important thing to remember about sleep is this: sleep while you can, but wake up when the alarm goes off. The end.

Thoughts on... procrastination

I've learned from experience that procrastination is never a good idea. The more often you do this, the less sleep you get in the long run. There have been many times in my life that I've procrastinated doing something important thinking to myself that, "I still have tomorrow", or "I'll get it done later." The ambiguous "later" syndrome can plague us all if we don't watch out. Sometimes "later" comes sooner than we had planned for and we find ourselves writing a ridiculous amount of blog posts to get credit for a semester-long assignment. A person's worst nightmare is to be caught unprepared for an important moment. Just imagine the amount of sadness and regret that the world will have at the day of judgment. I'm sure that many put off their much needed repentance because they take time for granted and think that they will always have another day to do this.

Essentially, procrastination is gambling away your time. Some people are still able to finish their necessary projects after procrastinating them but usually this is done at a much higher cost than it would have been otherwise or with weaker results. I don't know about you, but I never work very well when I'm tired or after studying for many consecutive hours. That's why it isn't wise for me to save all my studying for the day just before the test. Without beating this topic too much into the ground, I just want to finalize by reemphasizing the moral of this story: Don't disillusion yourself by thinking that procrastination is okay because in the end you will still have to do the work and put in the time.

Thoughts on... Top Ramen

We've all eaten it at one time in our lives. You know what I'm talking about... that prepackaged, noodle meal with seasoning powder. Ramen noodles have little, if any, nutritional value and don't really satisfy our wolf-like hunger. The ironic thing about the noodles is that they are what most people eat when they don't have anything else to eat. Whether it's a poor college student living on a tight budget or a lazy teenager with no culinary options, we have all participated (and probably even enjoyed) in making Ramen noodles. Why do we eat these noodles? I wish that I could actually answer that question...

It's been clinically proven that there are more ways to cook Ramen noodles than there are ingredients in the package. I've eaten them raw, cooked, with an egg, in casserole form, etc... The possibilities of this noodle delight are endless. Let's not be hasty and forget about all the varieties of flavorings as well. You have beef, chicken, pork, oriental, shrimp, teriyaki, and so forth. For some extra crazy experimentation I've even tried doubling up packets of two different flavors (like pork and shrimp). Sometimes it works; sometimes it just fails miserably. Regardless of our proclaimed distaste, and avowal to never eat it again, it seems that we will never rid ourselves of this noodled nemesis. As long as poverty (and student loans) persist, so will the wonder of Top Ramen.

Thoughts on... Thanksgiving
Turkey! Food, family, and football. Those are just a few of the things that I think of during this epic day of over-the-top food portions. Too much eating, fun and games with the family, and feelings of gratitude all contribute to make this holiday special. I've always enjoyed the time off from school but in recent years this holiday has taken on a greater meaning to me. It's wonderful to be able to focus on the things that I'm grateful for.

It wasn't until I went on a mission for two years that I realized how much I missed this holiday. The spirit of unity that it brings and the joy of being with friends and family is priceless.

Thoughts on... love

Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about “love.” What exactly is love? Every time I hear the word “love” I think about red roses and sunsets and other useless things that lend themselves into a romantic atmosphere but don’t really relate to love it self. Why is it that I can hear a word that is so important like love and only associate meaningless things?

The world today is full of people who think they are in love but are so confused by other people’s interpretations of love that they don’t have a clue what’s really going on. We even have a holiday just for the occasion of “falling in love”… Valentines Day. I always get a kick out of Valentines Day. People will go to great lengths to impress the one they love on this day of days and in doing so they end up spending way too much money on candy (especially chocolate), but who cares if you’re in love. Maybe this is part of the reason why people like me are so confused about the true meaning of love.

But let’s look a little closer at “love”, not the material representation of love but the thing itself: L-O-V-E. I always wondered when people actually know when they are “in love.” Is it after the first kiss, or maybe after they decide to get into a relationship. How do we really know? For some I imagine that they just come to a realization overnight. For others they might progressively fall in love after some time. Personally, I think that it comes when we genuinely put the welfare of others (the people we love) before ourselves. In a world so preoccupied with material things we sometimes lose sight of the importance of others and think only of ourselves. Selfishness is the murderer of love.

About a week ago I saw this old couple strolling through the park at night. They were just passing through, but I was able to take in their countenances in a moment. The woman looked so fragile and she was sitting gingerly in a wheel chair. Her husband was pushing her. As they passed directly in front of me a few paces off they passed through the light and the man bent over a said three simple words to his wife, “I love you”. It was dark, and cold, and I was miserable freezing in the park with only a light sweatshirt on. This was probably the least romantic setting I could have pictured in my shallow brain, but as I sat there watching this old couple passing through I realized what I had been looking for: true love. There it was, unadulterated and beautiful, love in its simplest and most precious state. At that moment I realized love isn’t something people just fall in and out off. I also learned it isn’t something that is dictated by the giving of gifts and flattering words. I think of it this way, when you love someone you are willing to sacrifice for them. You don’t think twice about it.