Sunday September 21 2008
For those that might care, here is how my Sunday went.
I got up refreshed as usual. I go to sleep easily. I sleep deeply and awake with full vigour. My wife was not nearly as lucky. Our dynamo of a son was up three times last night. Not crying, just getting into things and running around. He is ever so tiring. So, my alarm was a grouchy pregnant wife stumbling around the house griping at the kids.
Not that I blame her. Her belly button is starting to extrovert. We call it the turkey timer.
I spent part of the morning helping her around the house. We cleaned up the disaster of a kitchen from last night when we just let everything go in order to hit the sack.
Just for the record: I have an outstanding wife. She has been a delight to live with. I have 90% less drama than other men. She is forgiving and easy to get along with; sincere and forthright.
I got to reading the Adventurer’s Vault, a magic item book for D&D. I am very favorably impressed so far. My D&D group doesn’t know it yet but I plan on making this stuff generally available. Well, maybe. It’s more fun to find things.
The boys were fighting this morning and I got quite upset about it. They can’t even just watch cartoons in peace. Brugh! So, I sent them to their rooms. That really broke my spirit. I’ve been trying really hard the last four days to have peace in the house and to get to the next level personally.
Here’s the deal with that. Whenever I try to better myself significantly, everything goes wrong. It’s called the trial of faith. The scriptures are replete with examples of it: Alma and Amulek in prison, Elijah and the Widow, King Hezekiah (my personal fave– that guy had giant brass balls), and the classic Peter walking on water (tear…). Oh and Joseph Smith in the grove. Basically, everything has gone wrong in the last five days since I really got down to business (spiritually speaking). It’s to be expected. After today I think I’m ready to get my head down into the wind and keep plowing ahead.
There is no way around the trial of faith.
So, I really didn’t feel like going to church today. In fact, I skipped out on an EQ meeting (calling ahead of course). My friend John (the EQ prez) came by to check on me after. Really, a simple visit can mean so much sometimes.
Sacrament meeting was hell. Griffin just does not let up. He’s so noisy and he climbs all over me. He got into some sourpatch bears in my wife’s basket and then started biting me on my shoulders, leaving pink stains on my shirt. I took him out in the hall, but he got away from me and started stuffing licorice in the tithing slip trays. Oh, man he’s a terror. What’s the point of even going? So, thankfully I took him to nursery afterwards giving me two sweet hours of peace.
I almost just went home but I decided to give peace a chance and go to Gospel Doctrine. The teacher noticed that I had my head in my hands and called on my for the opening prayer. “Way to home in on the least spiritual person in the room” I said. I was in a pretty foul mood. But by the end of it all I was all charged up again. Glad I stayed.
Nothing to do but keep trudging along!
After that it was just a whiled away the afternoon. Kenna got her hair cut by a sister from church– it’s an adorable Jodie Foster bob. I think she’ll be happier now with less tangles. We went on a family walk with Griffin trundling along on his trike. The weather was perfect. We only did half of our circuit on account of Tamie’s condition. Griffin is such a sweet and responsive child. I think he’s living life twice as much as other humans. He’s my buddy, the apple of my eye.
If it weren’t for Sunday I would work myself to death.
Right now I’m polishing up a few episodes of Star Trek and drinking some Ovaltine. I broke down a few weeks back and bought season three of TNG on eBay. Yay!
For the five people who actually read this blog I say: keep your chin up. When you think like giving up, just take a few more steps. It’s bound to get better.
Bonus material:
I had a dream in which I saw a cage with a dead eagle in it, sprawled on the bottom. I asked the guide if maybe I had fed it the wrong thing. No, she responded, it wasn’t fed at all.
I had another dream where I walked into a hospital waiting room. Don Rickles was in there. I asked if he was all right. He said “No, I’m having a heart attack here.”
There was more to both of those, but who cares, really?
I am starting to see through the illusion of this life.
Last Word
This is from an article about the “mother of all bailouts”
The cost of doing nothing would have been far more severe because the clogged credit markets would make it harder for businesses to get the loans they need to keep operating, he said. Doing nothing also would make it harder for consumers to get the credit they need for car loans and other purchases, the Treasury secretary said. Consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of total economic activity.
Hey, how about just spending money you actually have. Most of my transactions are pay as you go here at BTP. You don’t need a loan for everything. How about paying outright for a car? That’s what I did. I bought a $500 piece of junk with no heater. I drove that lousy tin can for over a year. I saved up to buy a $900 car that is infinitely better (radio AND AC).
These banks and credit card companies would have you believe that you can’t live without them (life takes Visa, after all). The opposite is true. If we all said “pass” to interest then maybe those bankers would have to actually go produce something. I would love to see that.
If my daughter brought home a lawyer, a banker, and a mechanic as potential suitors, I would spit on the shoes of the first two. I have respect for people who actually produce a service or product that people would actually want to buy. A farmer, a janitor, a factory worker; those are honest jobs.
6 Responses to 'Sunday September 21 2008'
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I like reading when you post cool things about warhammer and btp stuff, but I love reading when you post about RL things. I am not really a very spiritual person, but in reading about your life I actually have started to think twice about that. Been going back to church and whatnot, talking to sisters from my alma matter and otherwise trying to lead a more peaceful life.
Ironfaith
22 Sep 08 at 5:40 am
Remember Shawn, honest people come in every profession.
For every tax lawyer, you have a lawyer working at Legal Aid trying to help somone fend off a dishonest landlord.
Matt
22 Sep 08 at 4:44 pm
Jeez Shawn, do you ever ‘think’ before you post?
How can you say things like “I have 90% less drama than other men.”
Have you ran a poll?
And “I really didn’t feel like going to church today.” and “What’s the point of even going?”
You’re not setting any kind of example for your people, your wife or your children. Looks to me like your religion is just one big joke to you.
“Way to home in on the least spiritual person in the room.”
You can say that again!
Maybe only five people read this blog because you’re always complaining. Keep your chin up and set a positive example! At least your not living in Chile.
Patrick
22 Sep 08 at 5:30 pm
Wow… sounds like Patrick needs to back off on the haterade. Seriously, blogs are some folks’ journals.. and what have folks done in journals throughtout history? That’s right kids… bitched about stuff. They might talk about their day, but in the end it breaks down to examining the goings on and then complaining in one form or another. From my great grandfather’s papers to those of presidents, it’s a common theme. Don’t like it, then don’t read it.
Shawn, while you and I are completely opposite ends of the faith/folkway spectrum, I like reading your family talk stuff. Then again, with my own two terrors I can completely empathise. Although I find my wife is actually far nicer when she IS pregnant than when not… which lends motivation to keeping her so
ANd I can definitely agree with you, she sounds sweeter than pie, and your assesment sounds about right. Pretty much every man I know is complaining about their woman’s nagging etc. Be glad I say 
Keep writing, I’ll keep reading
J
23 Sep 08 at 2:35 pm
Wow… sounds like j needs to back off on the Gatelyrade. I never said I “don’t like it.”
How can you not like or like something if you don’t know anything about it? and How can you state an opinion as fact without justification?
Patrick
23 Sep 08 at 11:57 pm
Wow Patrick, you sure do seem like whiney little fellow… one second you down the man’s opinions, next you claim you didnt dislike it. You need to quit flip flopping. I stated personal experience, and thankfully I don’t need to justify anything to a simpering random internet troll.
You throw down a negative post on someone’s blog and close it with some random nonsense, and for what?
If your life is so empty you need to kick strangers on the web, you go for it there, sparky. Those of us that actually have to go out and live life can understand and empathise with the things Shawn writes about, rather than simply whine about them.
J
24 Sep 08 at 3:24 am