I Am Everyday People.

Think about all the different types of people there are.

(This is going to end up sounding like I'm trying way too hard to be insightful.

But I promise that these are real thoughts I have.)

There are people you love because they've known you forever.

And no matter what happens, they really, really understand you.

There are people you love for no reason.

But you picture heaven with them living up and down the block,

smiling sunshine in white,

hugging and saying, "Hello. How are you? I love you."

There are people you meet who are exactly like you.

And that's nice.

There are people who talk too loud.

There are people who are the most annoying beloved spirit sons and daughters of God that you've ever met.

There are people that have hard lives that you don't know about.

There are people that you could talk to forever.

There are people that are nice, but have no tact.

There are people that you flat out don't understand.

There are people that make you want to be higher and holier than you are.

"It seems like there's gotta be some place without Greasers, Socs. There must be some place with just plain ordinary people."

Is there anything you can't do?

Let me tell you about this girl:

When you consider her father (the world's greatest stake president) and her mother (maker of the world's greatest homemade rolls & raspberry jam), it's really no wonder she's so great.

We're kind of like twins getting drafted into the NBA.

When we part ways, it won't be the end of the world.

We'll see each other again.

And I'll send her flowers or some fruit.

And she'll do the same for me.

Did you know she cuts hair?

She has a host of good quotations saved in her phone.

But other than that, she doesn't even need technology.

She will never have a facebook. So don't even try to creep.

She's not a water girl.

Forget the ring.

Think engagement puppy and you're on your way to winning her heart.

She can rap faster than B. o. B.

Well, duh. 'Cause she's a strong, independent black woman.

Even though she's not going to, she could totally go to med school.

She writes with fountain pens and reads 7 books in the time it takes me to read one.

In other words, she's classy.

"You quote movies, make soup, go to carillon bell concerts. Is there anything you can't do?

"Fly."

But she would if she could.

Story of my life.

Pretty much sums it up:

Rachel's Search for Meaning

"Everybody who hears my voice try the chemical LSD at least once, every man, woman, and child in good health over the age of fourteen."

-Allen Ginsberg

In a similar vein,

my message today is that

every man, woman, and child over the age of fourteen

should read

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl.

"The salvation of man is through love and in love."

"In a last violent protest against the hopelessness of imminent death, I sensed my spirit piercing through the enveloping gloom. I felt it transcend that hopeless, meaningless world, and from somewhere I heard a victorious 'Yes' in answer to my question of the existence of ultimate purpose."

Read it.

BYU

You don't have to like BYU.

But I love it.

I love it because it believes in me.

The Brigham Young University Mission Statement says:

The mission of Brigham Young University--founded, supported, and guided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--is to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life. That assistance should provide a period of intensive learning in a stimulating setting where a commitment to excellence is expected and the full realization of human potential is pursued.

I know that my being here means that a whole host of people trust me to do good in the world.

I love it because it is a place of light.

The sun is always shining through some glorious window.

I love it because it is a place of peace.

I love it because it is a place of love.

Yesterday and today, I attended my third BYU New Student Orientation.

I don't think I cried when I was a freshman, but as an upperclassman, I always cry when I go.

BYU is the most beautiful and blessed place.

And I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, not for anything.

That doesn't make any Sense.

1. Rather often, actually, I ask myself whether I would rather be blind or deaf.

It's a horrible question.

Honestly, I'd rather have no sense of smell.

2. I love moments of synesthesia.

Like when words have tastes.

For grammar class, we read a book by Martha Kolln.

KOLLN tastes like sucking on a Jolly Rancher.

In the two Human Development classes I've had,

CHILD CARE has always had a distinct taste.

(Just the word, not the concept.)

I decided today it tastes kind of like the chicken strips you order at restaurants when you're afraid to try something more exotic.

And they never let you down.

3. You know your mind's eye?

Well I have a mind's nervous system.

Sometimes I sit and conjure up the sensation of holding my family's hands.

I know it's in my mind, but it's like I can feel it under my skin.

Dad's hand is broad and dry and I can feel the shape of his fingertips where the saw cut them.

Mom's hand is small and cool and there are deep valleys between the knuckles where the fingers meet the back of the hand.

Jeff's hand is big and his fingers are straight and solid and I can feel our fingers intertwine.

Katie's hand is soft and feminine and my fingertip remembers touching the edges of her long and well-manicured nails.

And one day there will be other hands that I know that well.

Don't stone me.

But I LIKE Robert Pattinson.

(My regard being contingent, of course, upon the appropriateness of his hairstyle.)

This side part action and period dress are pretty ideal.

I mean, don't blame him for Stephenie Meyer trying to combine

Mr. Rochester

Mr. Darcy &

Gilbert Blythe

into a super hot, cold-skinned, fast-driving, sparkling, perpetually seventeen emo vampire creep.

Do we hate James Earl Jones for playing Darth Vader?

Also,

want to hear the greatest thing?

When Robert Pattinson was 14,

he practiced his American accent a lot

because he wanted to be a rapper.

I am super disappointed there are no videos of that on YouTube.

I checked.

The Inhibited Life.

Today's thoughts:

1. "Swinging your hips when you walk is a sign of weakness.

I am weak."

2. "You know that moment when you smell the overwhelming scent of nature and wonder if it's your b.o.?"

3. Sometimes I like to steal the show.

4. Common interests are more important than I always thought.