I'm For Team Humanity

I went to a college gymnastic meet recently (for the first time) and remembered the world of sports all too well after being out of them for so long.
Back-story: I never really watched a lot of sports growing up, and only participated in church sports. After becoming a mother at age 21, I became more a fan of people in general, rather than siding with teams. Over the last 15 years, I've helped women through labor and taught childbirth classes, done mentoring, music writing, homeschooling, and am a huge advocate of natural medicine and good nutrition.
So, upon entering the gymnastics competition, the first thing I noticed was all the people. Oh, the crowds.
The second thing I noticed was all the paraphernalia - the sweatshirts, concessions, posters, the fan fingers, etc...
The third thing I noticed was the announcer.
Next was all the noise - the cheering especially.
It took at least 20 minutes for us to find a seat... And then we started really noticing and appreciating the competitors. I cheered when someone did well and noticed that sometimes not everyone was cheering with me.
In all reality, I didn't know what type of gymnastics competition this was going to be before coming- professional is all I was told...
So then I realized that it was a state university against a different state's university... and that the times that I was cheering and no one else was, were the times the non-home university was showing their skill.
I had been out of the sports arena for so long (besides a couple of kids sports one year - and INTO the compassionate and humanity world for all that time that I thought it was so rude for only the people that came to support the other state (which were only a handful) to be cheering for that team.
I started to wonder why no one would cheer for them even when they did good. Why, when someone does a good job, is it not popular to cheer for them? Because they aren't on the team of your favorite university?
I knew and remembered what the answer was... Pride. School pride. "But school pride is good isn't it?" Well, maybe not always.
I am not going to try to change the world on this issue here by extensively explaining why this is just not humane or fair...
I will say, though, that I am on team humanity... and that when someone does a good job, I'm going to cheer for them no matter what team they are on...

Have You REALLY Graduated From High School?

Top 15 ways you can tell you've REALLY graduated from high school.
15. You no longer have to have a sandwich or a "food service" meal for lunch every day.
14. You see co-workers as team members, as opposed to competition.
13. You forgive, don't judge and don't gossip about, someone you see frequently for something they've done and you know they should be ashamed of. On the contrary, you seek to be kind to them.
12. You can easily choose to be there for a friend rather than watch or go to a game.
11. You have embraced your freedom to eat healthy foods.
10. You no longer have a desire to avoid the "nerds".
9. You make decisions based on what is right instead of what everyone else is doing.
8. You have realized that you are the famous "THEY" that people always talk about.
7. You realize that your worth does not depend on what grades you get or what other people think of you.
6. You start hanging out with people that truly care about you and that don't mind you truly caring about them.
5. Every day has stopped feeling superficial.
4. You have embraced your freedom to set and accomplish your own goals, free of stereotypical or flawed system's limitations.
3. You realize the great power you have to shape society.
2. The amount of money you have has nothing to do with the people you choose to be friends with.
1. You let go of hatred based on imperfection or unpopularity.

~Mylie Laing

Failing Because it's Too Easy?

What if I asked you to touch your nose, then your toes, then your mouth, eyes, ears, and lips? Would you do it? Some would. Yet some would ask why - and may be skeptical of it because they don't want to look stupid doing something so elementary.
What if I told you that you would get a very sweet prize at the end of twenty years if all you did to earn it were these simple exercises - every day? Would you do it? What if I told you that the sweet prize really might not be attained any other way?
Would you do it? What if the sweet prize was seeing your children succeed? What if it was your own success in your goals? Would you do it?
Some would. Some would say, "Whatever! Like that is going to really get me those things."
Well, what if I said that if you made your bed every day, prayed, journaled, drank 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water every day, exercised, cut out refined foods and focused on love, every day, you would get those things? You might believe me, and you might not. Some of those things sound hard and some may sound easy. To some, they may sound too easy. Some may get very bored doing these things.
But does that mean that doing these things would not give you the sweet prize at the end of twenty years? No. It most certainly still would give you the sweet prize at the end of twenty years.
Think of slowly painting a picture with small dots. If you put a few dots on the picture every day, over time it will start to take shape into something of an image.
If you choose to only put a few dots on every week, it will take longer for the picture to take shape. You may even forget what the picture is supposed to look like over time, or loose motivation, seeing that you have so far to go every day.
So, if you haven't caught on yet, the point I am trying to get across here is that by small and simple means are great things brought to pass (Alma chapter 37). We are all meant to do big things. Sometimes we are called to do big things in a short amount of time, but many times, we are called to do big things over a long period of time, requiring a daily effort fraught with faith, hope and love - that will, over that long period of time, turn into something very big.
Now I would like to give you an example of this. Many times in my life, I have struggled with daily things that are beneficial to my over-all health. However, I had plenty of reserves for handling bigger problems or situations - I was used to saving my energy for the big stuff. I actually, sometimes, was too afraid that if I used my energy for small things every day, I wouldn't have what I needed in the event of a big circumstance. Well, I have had the fortune of experiencing a very real shift in my life. A shift from fear and huge circumstances, to faith and daily diligence. I no longer fear I won't have the energy for the big problems because I am ready to do daily things to prevent big problems and that also give me energy in the case of a big circumstance.
I still struggle though. It was as I was reading this 37th chapter in Alma that I realized that the Lord was asking me to do easy things each day. For a long time, I really felt he was asking me to do hard things each day. So, this shift has been very foreign to me. I have wanted to invite huge circumstances into my life for the sole purpose of doing something big, and learning something big. For a big faith growing experience. I see now, that it is okay for me to not have to have the big - although that may still happen - because I have the easy and the small.
Here is my list of small and simple things that I strive for every day that I know are putting oil into my "lamp", and bringing to pass something marvelous. Mind you, I am by no means perfect at doing all of these every day, but when I really focus intently on them, the results are amazing!

Pray
Use the bathroom
Make my bed
Read my scriptures until I feel something good happen inside my soul
Eat nutritious foods - specific to my needs
Drink enough water
Help my children get ready for the day and be nice to them
Exercise
Shower and get dressed in clean clothes
Deoderant
Primp
Write in my journal
Pills
Clean up bedroom for 10 min.
Clean up after breakfast
Make a to-do list for the day.

These all together actually feel like a big feat and not small, considering I have 9 children. However, they are small things in themselves, that really bring synergy into the events of the day.

I am participating in a 21 day fast and LOVE IT! It is not a fast from food and drink, but rather from something that is preventing me from getting closer to Christ (Love). I am fasting from silence and will either be speaking more truth, like memorizing scripture outloud, or I will be journaling, characterizing affirmations, singing more, and accepting the joy that will follow. I need both the expression and the acceptance. This is my 21 day fast. It began January 3, 2016.
I bore my testimony on Sunday and Monday - uninhibited. Tuesday, I told the yucky junk/evil entities to leave my body and freed my voice. I felt great! Clean, pure, beautiful...Thanks to God for being there for me every step of the way - I can be there for him more when I speak truth freely and feel his love freely. Today I share my journey thus far, and I plan to sing freely today and journal about some very deep topics/issues. Here I go!
I invite all who would love to do this as well, to jump aboard and share you goals in the comments.