With the breath of Kindness

It seems we often hide things from other people to show a better side.
And why many of us will promptly label the practice as deceptive and bad, I’m sure someone could come along and explain why in certain situations it isn’t so terrible.
I guess it pivots on why we did it.
Sometimes we just don’t tell people because there’s no reason to… perhaps it’s just not important enough.

Anyway I’m not here to wax philosophic about it.
Just to say I find myself just spitting everything out from time to time!
Even when not asked…. specially then.
I tell people the reasons and actions that usually lead up to something, like sharing the inner workings of my madness

EX) I told someone today the reasons, thoughts and actions that led up to me leaving an embarasing voicemail message on their phone… only to have those things in reality be more embarassing in the end.
And it’s not like I didn’t know! I thought about it and said it would be embarassing if I told her… but when it got in my head to tell her I just decided why not and did it!

Perhaps it’s the Ego letting go and saying… they can see all of me for all I care. So what if it’s a laugh at my expense! It’s all about great memories… and unless we do something memorable it won’t be worth remembering anyway!

I wouldn’t say I do this in all occasions… perhaps I’m hoping the following quote rings true!

“Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithhful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away. ”

— George Eliot

Seriously what a beautiful quote! It’s been one of my favorites for such a long time! How perfect really…
It really is what I’m looking for in a eternal companion! Someone who takes it all in and does exactly what Mr Eliot suggests

Can you relate?

Weekend Fun

Here’s some pictures taken while on a (for me) last moment notice trip down to Southern Utah.
We were near Escalante just out side of Boulder, Utah… we did a hike to a waterfall… Lower Calf Creek Falls.

It was a fun drive and a fun trip in general… and on top of all that we got back in time to watch the BYU football game.

I didn’t know the guys before I went (they’re cool people) and the three beautiful girls are in my ward.

To see some of the pictures:

Open Gallery

Full Gallery (Password)

 
Allyson hung back and took pictures with me… and correspondingly got pictures taken.

3 of them jumped in ice cold water.

Me on top of a rock

Facebook - Keep In Touch

I keep in touch

Well we all know that I visit and talk to my friends more than most people
(certainly more than those that never leave/left their house or apartment)

I live to be around people and to do things socially.
However even so… there is a certain cut off from when I retained most of my friends and when I can’t even remember their names… it suspiciously coincides with the date I joined facebook.

EXAMPLES

Honestly I have one friend from freshman year of college and I knew hundreds of people back then.

3 years ago… same thing: I knew hundreds of people and thought I had lots of good friends, but I couldn’t even remember 20% of them now. Now, go back to when I joined facebook: the people that I knew then that also joined I still know and can still remember their names.

Coincidence?

What I think

Call me crazy I think knowing whats up with my friends who live a long-way-away isn’t considered stalking I think it’s a great substitution for a Christmas card…
I guess the question is: What are you doing adding people as “friends” who you don’t want to know what you’re up to?

As for me… I want them to know what I’m up to!

(Perhaps because they don’t call anyway… )

Old Friends
I have re-established old friendships… some from 10 years ago.

Other Options
But you can do blogs, or write letters or emails frequently, you can fly out and visit them often, you can spend your sundays on the phone (all valid options) or you can die without friends… whatever. Haha

Friendship… What For?
I guess it comes down to… what’s the purpose of friendships to you?

Perhaps you don’t even mind if you don’t remember the people you know now 4 years from now.
You enjoy the surprise of seeing someone at the store and finding out they live in the same town as you.

Networking means something else
The other thing to consider is that we might have the same interests and perhaps have capacities to help one another.

You might find out your friend became a plumber and your sink is clogged… or a car dealer and you want a new car.

OR how about this… A PHOTOGRAPHER!!!

And you need pictures… crazy world… but it could happen!

———–

Challenge
So the challenge is…
What is the reason to have friends?
And how would facebook help or hurt?

Either or both questions… respond.