Ramen, my blessing

     This evening for my din din I decided that I'd try to use some of my ramen noodles and make a recipe I found on the internet for Top Ramen Chow Mein. One of the steps had you cooking vegetables and I'd never done this before. The recipe didn't have detailed instructions on how to cook them, and I didn't feel like asking the all-wise Google so I just winged it, and they turned out perfect! The meal was great, for something made with ramen, and my belly was once again full.
     The reason that I'm now writing about my dinner is not to convince you to to make the recipe, or to make your tummy grumble, it is simple, I find it to be a real blessing in my life. A small one but one that I'm truly grateful for. I find that I need to count my blessings right now because I feel that strangeness where you are sad but there is no reason behind it and you know there must be some reason behind the feeling that chocolate doesn't even improve but you can't think of one. I think to myself, "What is wrong with me? How can I fix myself? What will make me feel better? By counting my blessings? Really?!" Since I really do want the feeling gone, and there is no harm in trying, I start to list them...
     The temple dedication, my testimony of forever families and the temple and the prophet and His love for me, food, clothes, likes, family, prayer, conference talks, understanding teachers, contacts, a sense of humor, good people, friends, chocolate, bananas, and holidays. Why is it working? How come the feeling is diluting?
     Good movies, dreams, pillows, ice cream (even if I'm currently out of it), blogs, nephews, my Grandma, a phone, ponytails, health, tissues, embarrassments, books, the scriptures (especially The Book of Mormon), flowers, beauty, a toothbrush, inspired leaders, my step-family, good weather, and kind acts of service.
     Fun, there's a smile on my face now and my tears have all dried. I'm kind of surprised that it worked so well. Read the following quote. It's the reason that I started this in the first place. I needed a release from this feeling of despair, but... My roommate's guitar is no longer available. Today happens to be Sunday so, no running. And I've already cleaned the whole kitchen, including all my roommates' dishes. Counting blessings was the only option available, and it worked so well for me!
  
"We live in a unique time in the world’s history. We are blessed with so very much. And yet it is sometimes difficult to view the problems and permissiveness around us and not become discouraged. I have found that, rather than dwelling on the negative, if we will take a step back and consider the blessings in our lives, including seemingly small, sometimes overlooked blessings, we can find greater happiness."

-Thomas  S.  Monson

Sunday Vandals in Rexburg

     At precisely 2:35 A.M., oh wait, 1:35 A.M. thanks to daylight savings, a noise disturbed me from the late night movie I had been enjoying. I looked out my window in time to see two young men, unless they were two manly young women, running from door to door, picking up pumpkins and throwing them off the balcony of my apartment building. The pumpkins that someone spent hard earned money and precious hours on, and the pumpkins that someone so artistically carved, were thrown down two stories to their desecration. They all now lay in moist pieces on the hard cement below.
     When things like these happen, and they don't usually, I find myself asking, "Why?" Because some adolescent young men wanted to get a kick out of seeing the girls of the apartment the next day with frowns on their faces? Because they wanted the satisfaction of knowing that someone now has a mess to clean up? Because they wanted the adrenaline they got when they so sneakily ran past apartments and showed both their strength and speed in doing a devilish deed without getting caught? Because they wanted to put the pumpkins out of their misery? Because they wanted some laughs?
     As you can probably tell, I am not a fan, I was awake when their escapade was in progress, and I did see a little of the irresponsible fellows who are responsible for this pointless act of vandalism.
     There were two throwing off the pumpkins on my floor, one was wearing a red jacket with the hood up, the other wasn't. They met their friend near the stairs on the south side of the building. He wasn't wearing a hood either and I believe his hair was light in color. Then they all ran off towards the stairwell laughing and speaking in loud whispers as if it had all been some hilarious joke.
     Well, I have a roommate who is going through a major trial in her life right now and I doubt that she'll think this is a funny prank. She is the one who made the pumpkin outside our door. And what a lovely pumpkin it was roughly twenty minutes ago. These three sons of God weren't acting like sons of God. On this early Sabbath morning, they were acting like jerks. I know my roommate will be saddened by the news that her pumpkin, she spent so much time on, is now destroyed but knowing her she'll be even more saddened by the news that someone else will be forced to clean it all up. I just hope it doesn't hurt a lot because no one deserves to hurt a lot, even the pumpkin smashers don't deserve that.
     The identities of the boys are unknown, and, personally, I kind of hope it stays that way so I'm not tempted to be rude to them, but if I could ask those boys a couple questions they would be these, "Whose life is bettered by this?" and, "So, what in the world possessed you to do it?"