I'm petrified of meeting "big name" people. I avoid celebrities at all cost.
But when you work at the Church Office Building, every once in awhile, someone you know steps into an elevator and you have to ride to the bottom with them.
I try to be the invisible fly on the wall.
Today, he got into my elevator:
And was talking about his recent travels with some other General Authorities.
Annie, my friend and co-worker, was brave enough to ask, "Do you like to travel?"
His response? "No. I hate it."
We laughed awkwardly.
Then, he said: "But it's what I've been called to do. So... I love to travel!"
Again, we laughed, though not as awkwardly.
And we arrived at our floor so we exited.
I found Inga's Hair Salon after getting only a little lost. It's in a house that has been converted to a salon. There's one measly little sign, so it's always hard to find. I walked in and looked around. There were old ladies with white hair everywhere--getting their monthly perms. I saw the only male hairdresser and asked--"Are you Bryce?"
"Yes, I am. You must be Laurel."
"Um, yeah. Annie's friend."
"Well, what are we going to do with your hair today?"
"A cut."
"Uh huh. Short? Long?"
"It's been awhile since I've had it long, so I think I want to keep the length."
"Layers? Bangs?"
"Maybe some bangs."
He played with my hair, gently pulling it until he decided on the look. He told funny jokes. After he shampooed and cut my hair, he started styling. Then he talked about what he plans to do for the summer. Highlights and more layers were mentioned. I smiled and laughed and told him that he could do whatever he wanted.
He finished. I paid. And walked out of Inga's Hair Salon, a new woman, with her own hairdresser. Want to guess how much it cost? It was definitely worth the price.
I'll post more pictures later.
My favorite poem in all the world, is Sir Thomas Moore's "Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms".
The story goes that his wife was very beautiful. Then she contracted a disease that left her very scarred and as she deemed ugly. She refused to be seen by Sir Thomas Moore. And so he wrote the words of this poem and read them through a closed door with her listening on the other side. When at last he finished, she opened the door to him.
Believe me, if all those endearing young charms
which I gaze on so fondly today
were to change by to-morrow and fleet in my arms
like fairy gifts fading away,
Thou wouldst still be adored, as this moment thou art,
let thy loveliness fade as it will,
And around the dear ruin each wish of my heart
would entwine itself verdantly still.
It is not while beauty and youth are thine own
And thy cheeks unprofaned by a tear,
That the ferver and faith of a soul can be known,
To which time will but make thee more dear;
No, the heart that has truly loved never forgets,
But as truly loves on to the close,
As the sun-flower turns on her god, when he sets,
the same look which she turned when he rose.
I know when I think of love, my mind wanders to the idea of romantic love. And I spend Valentine's watching movies about love and romance and eat lots of ice cream. This year, I'm trying to make a paradigm shift.
I remember one of my professors--whenever we talked about love, he would start to quote W.B. Yeats poem:
HAD I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet,
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams
And since that class, I have always loved that poem. I love the simplicity of that love--that he is willing to lay his dreams before her, but there is the pleading for her to not stomp over everything he bestows.
I realized as I heard my professor recite this poem with all the emotion he had in his older body, that romantic love is not the end all. There is love of family, love of friends, love of nature, love of God.
Heavenly Father has given us an opportunity to learn love in all of its many facets. If only I would open my eyes and realize how much love surrounds me!
So, this Valentine's--instead of focusing on the love which I don't have--I will focus on the love that is in my life. My family. My friends. My God. My country.
How blessed I am.
*When you get more responsibility at work to help actually find good material to put in the magazine!
*A co-worker agrees to help edit and suggest items to a personal narrative you are writing.
*The self-same co-worker tells the boss, as well as the rest of the staff, that your talent is being wasted and you should be a writer for the magazines.
*Having so many new books to read that you have to keep a running list of what to read next.
Life is wonderful!
You've waited for it. And now it's here!
I turned 26! Yay!
On the actual day of my birthday--I went to work. Good thing too since it appears I owe the IRS some money!!! But that's another ridiculous story.
Anyways, Kevin came and took me out to dinner--what a GREAT older brother.
After work, I went to Michelle's mom's house and had a birthday dinner in celebration of her little brother's birthday, and mine. They were SO nice to let me come and spoil the family dinner. Michelle, her mom, and myself played a rousing game of Ticket to Ride. I love that game! If only more of my friends played board games!
Well, Saturday was the big party. Marianne, Meagan and Becky planned it out and invited me over for the shin-dig at 7:30 PM. So, I went to Marianne's house. Becky was busy making french fries--the old fashioned way of cutting potatoes, throwing them on a cookie sheet, and seasoning away. Then baking for however long it takes. Yum!!
Meanwhile, Marianne was cooking up some....
HOT DOGS!! Yes. That seems to be the party food for us!
Meagan arrived just as we were about to munch with my incredible cake that she made. Amazing! And delicious too. It's all about the chocolate.
After that, we watched Enchanted during which we all took turns falling asleep. At the end of the day, I can honestly say--26 was the BEST birthday yet. Thanks for all of my friends who made it that way!!!
It's been over a week now. I'm still waiting for my friend, Meagan to e-mail me pictures from one of my birthday celebrations. I'll give the rundown of my birthday then.
But here's my one thought for this birthday:
"I'm 26, and I'm single, and a school teacher, and that's the bottom of the pit." ~ Etta Place, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
I'm only two out of three--so where exactly in the pit to do I fall? Two-thirds to the bottom?
Cheers.
And was talking about his recent travels with some other General Authorities.
