Just Write

It's been a long time since I have written on this blog. I was thinking this morning that I need to write more for some reason. I know my mom has a natural gift for writing and my hope is that maybe I inherited some of that gift. I love creating things, especially music. I guess writing is another form of creation.

It's a beautiful day today and I'm feeling good. I guess I'm a little like Michael Bublé in that sense. ;) I exercised this morning. It's amazing how much exercise can help clear your mind and allow you to concentrate and focus better on the critical tasks of the day.

Something interesting I have been thinking about and that I have been reminded of by my counselor is that we don't have to do anything in life. We never have to do homework or have to be righteous. There are only wants. We have agency and can therefore do anything we want to do. Usually, however, if there are things we want to do, there are certain requirements, or "have-tos" that help us to achieve those deep desires.

Isn't it great that we can do whatever we want? Sometimes we forget that and just fall into the mold that others make for us. We feel like we need to be something simply because we have seen others be it or we have been told to be it. We should certainly consider the noble and insightful opinions of others, but we should never let them determine our destiny. We can choose who we want to be. I am so grateful for that.

I don't really know what to write. I am just writing whatever pops into my head.

I like Coldplay. I love the variety in their music. It seems they have a song for every mood. I'm excited for their final album, A Head Full of Dreams. It almost sounds like A Sky Full of Stars which I think is kinda funny.

Welp, it was good to write a little bit. Maybe I'll try to write on a certain topic next time. I'll try to figure out what I want this blog to be about.

To whoever randomly happened upon this: until next time.

Inspiring Quotes

This page will serve as a collection place for my favorite quotes.

• "In the absence of clearly defined goals, we focus on activity and ultimately become enslaved by it."

• "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

• "Where there is no vision, the people perish. Where there is a vision, the people flourish."

The great test of life is obedience to God

The great task of life is to learn the will of the Lord and then do it.

The great commandment of life is to love the Lord.

***Ezra Taft Benson



Self-discipline--and that is a subject on which I think I have some right to speak because of my military training and experience--means doing things you would rather not do but having the courage to do them if they are right.

Hugh B. Brown

Life is Good. Music is Better.

Something about life is just great. Actually, not just something, a LOT of things about life are great. Here are some of the things that make life great for me:

1) I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I know who I am. I know God's plan. I'll follow him in faith. I believe in the Savior, Jesus Christ. I'll honor his name. I'll do what is right. I'll follow his light. His truth I will proclaim.

2) Knowing that Christ is my Savior helps me be at peace. It helps me move on and keep trying even though I'm not perfect. I make so many mistakes, but I can brush off the dust and keep going without beating myself up because I know there is someone who loves me who suffered so that I can keep practicing.

I love the piano teacher analogy given by Brad Wilcox. He compared our relationship with God to a student's relationship with a piano teacher. Mom (Jesus Christ) has already paid the piano teacher (God) in full so that the student (you and me) can practice. Neither mom nor the teacher require the student to play like Mozart on the first day. They don't even expect you to hit all the notes right. They knew you would stumble and that you would need practice. They're perfectly fine with that. Are you ok with it as the student?

I'm a piano player and getting good took practice. Lots and lots and lots and lots of practice. It wasn't easy, but the feeling you get when you master a song and are able to capture the emotions of all those participating in a performance is priceless.

Music is beautiful. I believe it is an advanced form of spiritual communication that can pierce even the hardest hearts. Music is a universal language. It allows us to express emotion. It is almost as if the emotion flows out of our body and into the notes. My piano teacher always reminded me that there is a difference between a musician and a noise-ician.

I've had a lot of piano teachers over the years.
-Started at Art City Music Academy
-Sister Dahlin
-Sister Margaret Brown
-Dr. David Glen Hatch
-Connie Bauer

There might have been a teacher or two that I missed. Each teacher taught me something different. In Art City music academy, I was part of  a group lesson. The only things I really remember about it is that my teacher called it "sight-seeing" instead of "sight-reading" on accident and that we got a jolly rancher at the end.

Sister Dahlin was a sweetheart. She was a sister in my ward who lived right next to my best friend's house. Every performance class she would get Krispy Kreme donuts and her go-to phrase was, "Bless your heart." I had a lot of fun with her and grew a lot. It was my first experience with one-on-one private lessons.

Sister Margaret Brown was and still is my favorite music teacher. She has the perfect combination of love and rigorousness. She was always happy to see you, but wouldn't let you leave until you got things right. She sometimes reminds me of my Grandmother Madsen who was also an exceptional piano teacher. I think my Grandmother was a bit tougher though.

To me at the beginning, Dr. Hatch was intimidating and he commanded respect. I had to pay money just to audition to be in his studio. He spent a great deal of time drilling me on music theory and then at the end finally had me sit down and play a short piece. He had already closed up his binder and seemed on the verge of dismissing me until he heard me play. My mom told me that at that point he reopened his binder and his whole demeanor changed. Long story short, I ended up taking from Dr. Hatch for about 9 months and had the opportunity to accompany him on tour to South America. It was a once in a lifetime experience (and that one time was probably sufficient for me).

To me, the lifestyle of a concert pianist seems tedious and unfulfilling. I find more fulfillment in creating enjoyable music for myself and for those close to me. Music is a release. It isn't a career. I would love to make money at it, but not in the are of concert performance.

Connie Bauer was a psychologist. She taught me a lot of interesting things when I was going through a hard time in high school. Musically, her style didn't jive with mine as well as some of my other teachers' had. I really enjoyed learning from her as a person and I'll be glad  I took lessons from her for a little while.

I'm just kind of rambling on, but I just decided that it would be a good idea to write more often. I like to do it and I'm fairly good at it so I figured I might get my thoughts on to paper.

Music is great, but I gotta go so I'm not late...to institute.

Why I Write

Writing. Before, when I heard that word I was filled with instant anxiety. My mind immediately turned to school papers and the suffocating weight of being assigned to write about topics that I cared little to nothing about. That was before. Now, I realize that the process of writing, though difficult at first, can be liberating, character-building and even enjoyable.

I write for many purposes outside of just completing an assignment. I write to make to-do lists and keep myself organized. I write because it is therapeutic. I write when I don’t know what to write. I write until I know what to write about. I write to understand why I write. I write to communicate with those I love through email and text messages. I write to entertain my future self. I write to learn how to change behavior in the present or even the future. When I have hard times or feel down on myself, I go back and read my journal and realize that I really am a worthwhile person. I see how the Spirit has been able to touch me and at times speak through me as I have turned to my Heavenly Father and recorded my thoughts, feelings and impressions.

Writing is emotional. It is a form of art. Sometimes it is abstract and sometimes it is very precise and refined but it is always beautiful because a human being with divine heritage created it. We admire the works of Picasso just as much as those of Michelangelo. Writing takes time. There is beauty in writing a draft, letting it sit for a day or two and then going back to it and fine-tuning it. The writing process is similar to the process a woodworker goes through to make a beautiful piece of furniture.

Over the summer, I did some work on a wood lathe. I started with a big block of wood and used a sharp tool to whittle it down little by little. As I worked, the jagged edges gradually disappeared and eventually I got the block down to the small, beautiful shape that I desired. At that point I was able to sand and polish. As I began the process, there were huge shavings that came off and at times my tool would even catch on the wood. Removing the excess was difficult. As I kept going, I got into a rhythm. The more I shaved off, the easier it became to shape the wood and make it beautiful.

So it is with writing. At first, it often seems that the words just aren’t flowing out. I feel trapped and find myself in the all-too-common predicament of “writer’s block.” It seems the dam will never burst, but little by little, the thoughts start trickling out until the dam breaks and a flood of ideas come. Once this occurs, the challenge becomes directing and organizing these thoughts into a coherent piece of writing that impacts the reader in the intended way.

I am always refreshed each time I make a new draft and see my piece of writing go from an ugly scrap of wood to a beautiful, hand-crafted masterpiece. Frequently, multiple drafts are required. Writing takes practice. The growth doesn’t come easily and without struggle, effort and pain, but it does come. I am a much better writer than I was when I was in first grade not just because I have gotten older, but because I have written a lot since then. I have practiced. I have been up through the night many times writing to finish assignments. Sometimes it is during the darkest hours of the night when the must illuminating writing occurs. I have flashes of creativity. When I am able to ride these waves of brilliance, my writing becomes great.

            I don’t always write in an artistic way. Sometimes I write solely to inform. If I simply want to help people understand a story or events that occurred, I use simple, straightforward writing. Beauty and clarity are often found in simplicity.

           

            No matter what the purpose is behind my writing, I strive to remember that writing is a process and that good writing takes work. Though there is often a struggle and some pain associated with good writing, it is always worth the beauty that I and others see in the final product. As I write, I hope to inspire and excite. There is no such thing as perfect writing, but good writing penetrates the heart and soul. As I write, I grow and others grow with me. Writing is living.