Moods

Feeling moody today. A few things on my mind. Went to Ogden last night to watch BYU barely beat Weber State. Ogden. Didn't care for that place. Felt dirty, old, tired. A worn down, depressed, town...which is interesting because Forbes just named Ogden as the 6th best place to raise a family. Even so, I don't plan on going back there any time soon.

Last night, at dinner, I sat at the table and thought to myself: "Self, you're being served food at a restaurant. You're consuming. This is your experience. You really don't know anything else. The majority of people in the world may never know this experience that you are having right now." I didn't feel bad. But I did feel the disparity of my experience with those who are struggling at the moment to make ends meet, or are otherwise poor. Along the same lines, I was talking with a friend last week and the topic of why people give more during Christmas time came up. One theory is that the elements of the season compel people to give. A homeless guy during the summer will get by but in the winter may freeze to death. I thought about all of the coats in our closet that largely go unused. I teared up while I was relating the thought to Oriah the other day. There are so many who need so much. At the moment, I feel like selling everything and going somewhere to serve people who have nothing.

We passed an $858 billion tax plan. I may have been one of 27 willing taxpayers who would have been ok paying higher taxes with the intention to reduce our debt. When will the Nation's collective conscience realize that this Country is sick and needs to take some medicine in the form of discipline and sacrifice? When will our elected representatives muster the intestinal fortitude to make, and stick to, difficult choices for long-term prosperity? I don't feel optimistic about America's future and sustainability.

Oriah surprised me last Friday night with dinner and tickets to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert. Mr. "Hometown" David Archuleta sang a couple of numbers. The kid needs to stick to the teleprompter and maybe not hold the microphone so close to his mouth when he's breathing but man can that kid belt 'em out! I was pretty impressed by his talent.

We woke up to a foot of snow yesterday morning. I also woke up at 3:30a and had a hard time getting back to bed. I went down stairs, opened the blinds in the living room, sat on the couch and watched the snow fall. I still love big snow storms. I think the inner child still roams and wishes that "school" will be canceled. Simple pleasures.

There's my emotional spectrum for the day.