The Winners Take It All

Wow that was amazing--possibly the most amazing play I have ever seen in my football watching career. RISE AND SHOUT THE COUGARS ARE OUT!

I am very excited for this season and hope for the best.  We already have a major injury with Taysom Hill and there were some suspensions and things prior to going into this game against Nebraska.  We pulled through.

BYU often does well the first half of the game and struggles the second.  This is how I see my life thus far.  I succeeded in many things the first half and now there are struggles.  It may feel like I need to throw that Hail Mary.  There is a chance to succeed! There is hope, even with only 1 second left on the clock.  There will also be more games.  Even if this one doesn't work in my favor--there are more games.

After the game I walked with a friend.  She is struggling right now with a transition in her life and is feeling down.  All I wanted to talk about was how amazing the game was and all she wanted was for someone to listen and empathize with her.  I was frustrated because she didn't share my excitement and she was frustrated because I maybe heard what she said--but didn't really listen.  There will be times in life where we must share in the joy that someone is feeling even when we are feeling down and reversely we must truly listen and try to understand someone even when we are on a high note.  I left the walk feeling frustrated as I am sure she did too.  She told me she didn't care about BYU or Football which is fine--but honestly this is the best play I think I have ever seen made by my team.  I felt a little offended that she didn't want to share in my happiness.  She basically tried to put me in my place for talking too much about an important event of my day to emphasize that her life was more important. (or so it appeared)  Yes I know real life is more important than football, but leisure activities are important to relieve stress and bolster good feelings.  That is what I had--but now I feel a little dashed because I feel deeply about everything--excitement, sadness, pain etc... She felt offended that I seemed not to care about her or her feeling down.  I really do care about her and what she is going through.  What she didn't know is that I often feel upset or down...just read this blog.  I know I only write when I have strong emotions and often those are the negative ones as they tend to be stronger.  I am going through similar hardships at a different stage. She is frustrated with feeling like most of her friends don't care anymore--I feel the same way.  So many of my friends have moved on with their life.  There is a time and season for everything and everyone. She is frustrated with being single in a family oriented church--me too!  She is frustrated with our little branch where most people are much younger and just married.  Its hard to make friends.  I understand.  I don't understand what it is like to have lost my parents--but I do understand loss.  I understand because I feel it too.  I had a blip of excitement from the game--and I feel like it is now dashed because I wasn't being the friend I needed to be.  I am also frustrated because I should be able to be excited--Often enough on our walks she goes on and on about her feelings good and bad--I know I do too--but what is so bad about being excited about a sporting event?  NOTHING!  We are into different things and that is ok.  So the major lesson learned is that it is ok to be excited--but we must also listen to others.  It is also ok to be down and listen to other's excitement.  I know I feel bad about my actions--but she probably doesn't even realize that she kind of hurt my feelings too. Time to buck up! I honestly didn't need the negativity today--I wish I could handle someone else's negativity and my own too--but I can't always. I now mostly feel guilty because I wasn't good enough of a friend.  I need to realize I did my best and that is all I need to be.

So the Winner Takes It All--  Sometimes we can feel sad as winners and losers and feel sad and that's ok.

Sleeping and Waking

Should I be sleeping...of course but alas I am awake and truly upset.  Facebook lovingly provides you with your memories of what happened on this day in the past...For months now I have been reliving a nightmare by looking at them.  I am intrigued daily by what is on them.  Some days are amazing, whereas others or sad.  It has happened--the day that my heart was broken was relived through these memories.  Interestingly enough years later my brother was married and it was joyful.  I feel full of emotions---not just over the reliving of memories, but of how awful online dating is.  Everything is at best uncomfortable and more often for me tends to be questions or comments that are inappropriate for someone you have never met and of a rather intimate nature.  No! is all I have to say to men on the internet.  Your comments are not warranted, nor are they wanted.  You should never email someone these kinds of questions without meeting them, and even then...probably not appropriate.

It is now 1:12 in the morning as I type.  My heart is no longer broken as it once was--there is a great big beautiful tomorrow.  The long sleep of being alone will be done soon--waking will come soon.

Groundhog Day, Sickness, and Tasting

February has brought me sickness, coughing, yucky, achy sickness.  I have stayed home most of the week.  I had a substitute Monday, and Tuesday.  I went to the doctor on Monday and I do not have the flu, but I do have some sort of respiratory yuckyness. Just like the groundhog, I made an appearance at school on Wednesday.  I saw my shadow and have decided to hibernate the rest of the week. I broke down at lunch and cried.  I made it through the day, but just barely.  I planned for a sub for Thursday--today and also tomorrow Friday.  I feel a million times better today, but not perfect.  I am staying home as I have already made plans for my sub and I don't want to make the same mistake of going back too soon.

Once you have a taste for something, you crave it.  I went on my second date with that Gentleman last Saturday.  He is really nice.  Yes, our conversations were on the fluffy side but I had a good time.  He is incredibly hard to read.  He is also a poor texter.  He asked me out via text on Wednesday and started the conversation by saying "good evening." Sure, it was polite, but what am I supposed to do with that?  It is really hard to have conversations like that.  At the end of our date he said lets keep in touch, but no hug so I am at a loss for what to expect or even hope for.  I texted him the next day to ask what he thought of the superbowl.  He responded and said they started later.  I texted and said that the last quarter was crazy...and then...radio silence. I get that he is a poor texter and over 30 and single, so there are issues on his end as well as all of my own. I just don't know.  I don't want to read into things that are not there for good or ill.  I don't want to make excuses if he isn't that into me, or I don't want to make excuses when maybe he could like me.  So now that I have been on two dates with the same person...I crave dating.  I had been on a dating fast, not intentionally per se, but on one none the less. The last date I had been on prior to this was the date I was on last summer, and before that was basically over a year before. I do have a taste for dating, or really rather spending time with someone and getting to know them.  I honestly hate dating...but mostly the part where I don't know what is going on.  If one knows that a person is interested, it is easier. 

Do you know what I hate most of all? That I compare every---EVERY---relationship to what I had with my ex fiance.  We had an easy time starting to date and it was pretty easy most of the time...granted he didn't communicate with me and tell me his feelings openly leading to a huge breakup three weeks before a wedding date.  I want things to be more known to me at the beginning, but then I think what if that was the problem.  I second guess myself in everything I do.  I know it was years ago--but it has affected me deeply by judging myself and every other man I will ever date.  To them, I apologize.  To myself, I apologize as well.  Just be be clear, I know I wasn't perfect in that relationship.  I did things I made it a place where he didn't feel like he could talk to me and probably made him feel not as manly has he needed to feel among other things.  Every relationship is more than one person's fault.  Truth is I blame myself.  Yes, I am grateful I am not married to him, but I carry the blame and have for years and like I said, it makes me second guess myself and dating.

Dates and Marriage

I have recently gone online---again.  Yes, I hate it, but do I have a choice?  I decided upon eharmony this time.  Last weekend I went on 2 dates.  It was great having 2 dates so close together. One of the gentlemen was one I can see myself going on more dates with.  Before the date I was excited, yet fairly calm about the date.  We went to dinner and we talked. It was such a great first date.  We smiled and laughed and just enjoyed each other's company.  At the end of the date he suggested we do it again. I said absolutely or something similar and he asked what was the best way to contact me and I said what ever is easier for him.  So there is some potential, yet I worry and I get scared.

The second date was with a guy in his later 40s.  He is nice enough, but I am not interested.  I kinda knew I wasn't going to be but I had to give it a chance right? 

Marriage is something I see as a dichotomy in my life.  I want it, yet I fear it.  I have deep longing for it and know their can be joy, yet I am terrified that I could be hurt far worse than I already have. I had a friend tell me yesterday that her husband is leaving her.  They have been married for over two decades.  A few weeks ago another friend told me about her upcoming divorce and the reasons why.  Both make sense on some level, but what I think it really boils down to is that the husbands weren't really willing to try to make things work.  It takes repentance and forgiveness and staying away from things that don't bring you closer to God and your spouse.  I believe we can be happy with many people and we do not have a soul mate.  We need to love who we choose for ourselves and choose to love them even when things get tough. We need to not give up on ourselves and on our spouse.  That being said in one of the marriages stated above, it was becoming more abusive and the husband was into some not good stuff and my friend will be in a better place removed from that.  He could have made the choice to stay away from that crap and work hard to stay away, but he chose a path that brought him destruction.

Marriage is hard and scares me but I also see the joy it can bring and hope that someday I will be able to experience it.  We cannot know the joy with out some sorrow.