sister lattin

Sister Lattin is the wife of my mission president, my second mom, and my greatest example of genuine friendliness. She is always smiling! Whenever she sees you, she gives you the biggest, most enthusiastic hug. You feel as if she's been waiting her whole life to see you. I always feel of Sister Lattin's genuine love and appreciation for me as an individual.

Sister Lattin also has some health problems involving osteoporosis. In fact, for the past few weeks she has been in the United States getting treatment. She has been on my mind and in my prayers. Her example of friendliness and love makes me want to be better.

So, this week I'm going to renew an old goal of mine. Sometimes when I'm in big crowds or somewhere with a lot of distractions, I don't actually pay attention to the person who is speaking with me. I'll look around, only listen with one ear, and give almost no feedback. I realized that this could give the impression to the people that I'm around that I don't care about them, or that things are better elsewhere. A while ago, I made a goal that whenever I am with someone, I will focus on them, look them in the eyes, and be genuinely interested. I am going to commit to doing this again throughout the course of this week. I want other people to feel around me the way I feel around Sister Lattin.

By genuinely being interested in others, I will build my relationships with them. I believe that relationships are the most important things we can focus on in life. I am grateful for the good examples I have of friendliness and interest, and I hope to one day be an example of this for other people.

nature

I'm from Oregon; it's a BEAUTIFUL state, covered with mountains, green trees, and rivers. I didn't really appreciate how magnificent Oregon's nature was until I came to BYU for school…I mean, I guess Utah is pretty too.

I grew up playing among the Douglas Firs behind my house, picking blackberries, boating, camping, hiking, swimming, stargazing, you name it. I thought that everyone had such a childhood, but this past week in one of my classes we discussed how children are spending significantly less time outside and in nature than previous generations. Most of it has to do with the surge in television watching and video game playing. I guess kids don't want to exercise their own imagination when a computer does it for them…

We discussed the effects of this phenomenon, which is appropriately termed "nature-deficit disorder." Kids have greater trouble focusing, are more likely to be obese, and are performing more poorly in school. This knowledge made me especially grateful for my upbringing in Oregon, where I was free to connect with nature on a daily basis.

That being said, I have noticed how I spend much less time outside as a college student than I would like to. Once you factor in classes, homework, work, social engagements, and church meetings, there seems to hardly be any time left to enjoy the beauty of this earth. In my life, I notice that when I take a few minutes outside to sit still, I am happier and more productive. Learning about nature-deficit disorder scared me into making a goal of spending twenty minutes outside every day. I think that this will improve my overall mood and appreciation for what is around me. I am really grateful for a God who created such a beautiful earth for us to live on, and I want to enjoy it more often.

jason mraz

Last night I had the opportunity to drive up to Salt Lake City for a Jason Mraz concert; it was incredible. Not only does Jason write beautiful songs and perform extremely well live, but also he has a strong set of values based on positivity that I found to be compelling.

All of Jason's music is related to positive thinking in some way. One particular example that he shared stuck out to me. Growing up, he had a friend who was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. Instead of complaining about the diagnosis or focusing on the negative, this friend instead adopted the mantra, "I won't worry my life away." He continued to live his life to the fullest, and is still alive and well today. This phrase became the inspiration for one of Jason's most famous songs, "The Remedy."

Since I heard this story, I have been thinking about the power of a positive attitude. No, we can't always change our circumstances or our genetic predispositions, but we do have control over our attitude. I have noticed in my own life how choosing a good attitude makes any situation bearable, no matter how dark. With this is mind, anytime this week when I find myself complaining about something, I will correct myself and instead think of two good things about the situation. I think that by training my mind in this way, I'll be able to find greater satisfaction in life and feel more able to deal with challenges.

My mom always said, "Attitude is everything; pick a good one." Will you?

technology

In one of my classes this week, we discussed the positive and negative uses of technology, as well as the pervasiveness of technology in our society today. I think you all know that technology is a wonderful blessing that can be used for good, but it can also become a handicap when used too often. Our professor advised us to do a personal checkup and see how often we were using technology, and for what purposes.

So I did. For two days I kept track of my technology use more closely--in particular, the use of my phone--and documented how often I sent a text message, scanned Facebook, sent a Snapchat, etc.

The results shocked me. I could hardly go at least five minutes without checking my phone! It was ridiculous! I realized that I had been missing out on a lot going around me because I had my head down and eyes glued to my phone.

Because of what I learned, I decided to make some changes in my life. First, while I'm walking from class to class I don't look at my phone. Instead, I simply enjoy the sunny weather, smile at people, and focus more on breathing the fresh air. I have also decided to put my phone and computer to bed about twenty minutes before I go to bed. By doing this, I will have time to unwind so that falling asleep is an easier process. I'm going to start with these two changes for the next week, and then I'll figure out where to go from there.

Technology is a beautiful thing; it allows me to stay connected with my parents, brothers, and friends in Ukraine. However, there were things that I could change and ways that I could improve my usage. I am glad that we discussed this topic in class because it helped me to more clearly figure out my priorities.