As I was driving along 600 East today, going to Sophie's piano teacher's house, I realized how much I'm going to miss the routines we have in Logan. Every Tuesday afternoon, Soph goes to piano. I drop her off, go for a walk or run an errand during her 30 minute lesson, chat with her teacher and Soph and I chat on the way home. It's predictable.
I love going to the same grocery stores, walking our dogs along the same routes, visiting the USU campus, all the things we take comfort in because they are familiar.
I worry about the unpredictability of another move, although we are going back to a state in which we've all lived. I ache for Sophie having to be the new kid and not seeing the faces of classmates she's known for 4 years. I feel sad because we won't recognize the cashiers at the local markets and even though we may never exchange more than a few words, seeing them brings that feeling of all is right in the world. I love walking around town and having someone honk because they recognize me and as I see their car going by I can place a person with the vehicle.
Having moved a few times, I know when we first get to Michigan I'll see a familiar car and think, "Oh, there's so and so," only to sadly realize, it's not. Viewing a person from the back, I might think it's a friend, only to remember my friends are many miles away. It's a feeling that causes a deep ache and no matter how many times I move, it creeps up on me.
So today I appreciate our routines in Logan, the familiar, the predictable and the ordinary way we spend each of our days. I know it's good to shake things up once in awhile and pretty soon all will settle and we'll find ourselves chatting with the cashier at the grocery store, whose line we chose because we know he or she is the friendliest.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
A bit of a deviation
I'm going to take a break from my Best of Logan Countdown to address something I've been thinking about for awhile.
In my discussions about religion I often hear people say they just knew, they felt it was right or they heard a voice telling them the religion they follow is true. As a skeptic, I've often felt (heard a voice, just knew, hahaha) that it was a self-fulfilling prophecy situation. A person wants to believe in something, so they set the conditions for it to be so. The problem was/is, I have felt a comfort when praying or in a religious setting and I like that comfort! Then this happened...
When I was preparing to fly to Michigan a few weeks ago, I kept getting signals that I shouldn't go. Nearly every time I looked at the clock, it was 9:11 (to me that was a sign because of 9/11) and a few days before I was to leave, I stopped behind a car and the license plate read 911. I prayed about it and heard a clear voice telling me not to go. Not good. The reality was, I hate flying, I am certain each flight I take is "the one", but I usually get a feeling that it's all going to be ok. Not so this time.
When I got to the SLC airport, I tried to give up my seat for a later flight, feeling like it was that first leg that was doomed. They didn't need people to give up their seats, so I found a person more afraid of flying than I was and we chatted in the gate, sat next to each other on the plane and I ended up having one of the most enjoyable flights ever.
So what does this all mean? Who knows, but, for me it showed me that when we want to believe something, we can find all the proof we need (not that I wanted to believe I was going to die in an airplane crash, but my fear of flying is very real). I still believe in listening to that little voice inside all of us - and giving it the credit it deserves, while realizing we are the ones in control of that voice. I just don't think that praying for an answer to whether or not a certain religion is true is the most trustworthy path to take, because through the act of praying you are already giving validity to the religion you believe.
I write this also believing that if a person finds comfort within a religion, within a belief system, within a faith in a higher power, they have found a truth FOR THEM. The truth is that the religion, the belief, the faith brings meaning to their life, gives them joy, etc. It still does not mean the religion or the higher power is true, but maybe that's not important - but I would feel better if people acknowledged it.
In my discussions about religion I often hear people say they just knew, they felt it was right or they heard a voice telling them the religion they follow is true. As a skeptic, I've often felt (heard a voice, just knew, hahaha) that it was a self-fulfilling prophecy situation. A person wants to believe in something, so they set the conditions for it to be so. The problem was/is, I have felt a comfort when praying or in a religious setting and I like that comfort! Then this happened...
When I was preparing to fly to Michigan a few weeks ago, I kept getting signals that I shouldn't go. Nearly every time I looked at the clock, it was 9:11 (to me that was a sign because of 9/11) and a few days before I was to leave, I stopped behind a car and the license plate read 911. I prayed about it and heard a clear voice telling me not to go. Not good. The reality was, I hate flying, I am certain each flight I take is "the one", but I usually get a feeling that it's all going to be ok. Not so this time.
When I got to the SLC airport, I tried to give up my seat for a later flight, feeling like it was that first leg that was doomed. They didn't need people to give up their seats, so I found a person more afraid of flying than I was and we chatted in the gate, sat next to each other on the plane and I ended up having one of the most enjoyable flights ever.
So what does this all mean? Who knows, but, for me it showed me that when we want to believe something, we can find all the proof we need (not that I wanted to believe I was going to die in an airplane crash, but my fear of flying is very real). I still believe in listening to that little voice inside all of us - and giving it the credit it deserves, while realizing we are the ones in control of that voice. I just don't think that praying for an answer to whether or not a certain religion is true is the most trustworthy path to take, because through the act of praying you are already giving validity to the religion you believe.
I write this also believing that if a person finds comfort within a religion, within a belief system, within a faith in a higher power, they have found a truth FOR THEM. The truth is that the religion, the belief, the faith brings meaning to their life, gives them joy, etc. It still does not mean the religion or the higher power is true, but maybe that's not important - but I would feel better if people acknowledged it.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
16
The newspaper here, The Herald Journal, is sort of one of my favorite things for these reasons: I like checking what movies arrived at the "cheap" theater on Fridays, I like reading the opinions of local readers (sometimes), and right now I'm using it to wrap the stuff that's breakable for our move.
Logan is a small town, so one can usually find a couple names they recognize in the newspaper. It does a good job of covering events in the area and even putting in uplifting news instead of just really depressing, horrible stuff.
On Sundays I like to scan the wedding announcements and count how many people are getting married in the LDS Temple. It's rare to find an announcement of a couple marrying who is not getting married in the Temple - which means that wow, there are a lot of people of the LDS religion here or people getting married at other venues are not advertising their event. Interesting.
I just hope I don't forget to cancel our subscription before we leave...maybe I should do it now, just in case.
Logan is a small town, so one can usually find a couple names they recognize in the newspaper. It does a good job of covering events in the area and even putting in uplifting news instead of just really depressing, horrible stuff.
On Sundays I like to scan the wedding announcements and count how many people are getting married in the LDS Temple. It's rare to find an announcement of a couple marrying who is not getting married in the Temple - which means that wow, there are a lot of people of the LDS religion here or people getting married at other venues are not advertising their event. Interesting.
I just hope I don't forget to cancel our subscription before we leave...maybe I should do it now, just in case.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
17
Perhaps I should save this for #1, but I just can't wait since it came up today...one of my favorite things about living in Utah is the ability to talk about religion because it is often the big, ole elephant in the room!
I definitely think religion is a personal matter - but also one that should be discussed. I am still learning the art of discussing it without offending anyone and learning without judgment.
Utah has a very dominant religious presence and to those not from here, it can be baffling. I did not understand the enormity of it when I moved to Utah in 1999 and when we returned in 2006, I came with a HUGE chip on my shoulder. Fortunately, I learned to question and listen and invite others to learn about various religions along with me. I feel much better about my most recent Utah experience and hope to continue learning about people's beliefs wherever I go.
Today I posted something on Facebook about my friend's status that referenced her receiving eternal consequences for having her name taken off the LDS Church records. I was worried about Mormon bashing occurring, because I really did want to hear what the consequences were - though truth be told, I also wanted to open up a dialogue about religious beliefs. It sort of did.
I have heard that it's hard to be Mormon living in Utah, a lot of pressure to live a certain way, keep up with the neighbors, etc. and I can see that. It's been fun being a minority here and also learning a bit more about the Mormon culture. I'm still an agnostic, still want to learn about as many religions as I can and still baffled how often the LDS Church ends up in the local newspaper - what will I talk about in Michigan!!?
I definitely think religion is a personal matter - but also one that should be discussed. I am still learning the art of discussing it without offending anyone and learning without judgment.
Utah has a very dominant religious presence and to those not from here, it can be baffling. I did not understand the enormity of it when I moved to Utah in 1999 and when we returned in 2006, I came with a HUGE chip on my shoulder. Fortunately, I learned to question and listen and invite others to learn about various religions along with me. I feel much better about my most recent Utah experience and hope to continue learning about people's beliefs wherever I go.
Today I posted something on Facebook about my friend's status that referenced her receiving eternal consequences for having her name taken off the LDS Church records. I was worried about Mormon bashing occurring, because I really did want to hear what the consequences were - though truth be told, I also wanted to open up a dialogue about religious beliefs. It sort of did.
I have heard that it's hard to be Mormon living in Utah, a lot of pressure to live a certain way, keep up with the neighbors, etc. and I can see that. It's been fun being a minority here and also learning a bit more about the Mormon culture. I'm still an agnostic, still want to learn about as many religions as I can and still baffled how often the LDS Church ends up in the local newspaper - what will I talk about in Michigan!!?
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