Consuming and Creating: Part 9: Discovery

Just a couple of posts ago I mentioned how I think that doscovery is an important part of enjoyment. This weekend I went to a National Park and played around in nature. It made me happy. I climbed up a giant sanddune and just smiled as I walked through the sand at the top (avoiding the scorpion tracks). I also really enjoyed wandering around right before sunset clambering over slick rock and admiring the Indian Paintbrush. I'm sure others have seen those things before but just finding these places myself was fun. My friend that I was with told some other friends that I was "euphoric" after these little escapades. I guess other people don't seem to get so excited about these kind of things... I guess I get it from my mom.
Although I have to admit that sometimes I don't feel like I appreciate some things as much as I should. We went on a sunrise hike. It was cool but it didn't seem that exciting...
Discovery and creation seem to be really connected in that way, as in they both give me the same triumphant feel. Without using the word "discovery" I wrote last month about how it can be a part of creation. In another post a couple of years ago, I wrote about being excited about the little things and how doing so makes you a good candidate for immortality. Perhaps they are more interrelated than I thought.

The Spread of Pet Peeves

I had a roommate a couple of years ago who hated when time was left on the microwave or cupboard doors were left open. Before that point I never even noticed, but to keep her happy I would try to fix these things.
Now I have a roommate who always leaves time on the microwave and it has started driving me crazy... ok that is an esageration but I would prefer if she didn't but I know it is not a real problem.
And I wonder if I would have noticed if it hadn't been for that first roommate.
So that is the danger of having pet peeves. They can spread!

Call Me Shrike

In senior english we had to write a "college essay." My college didn't require an essay but this is the one I wrote for the class, with comments made today in a set of foortnotes.


Call me Shrike (1). When I was about fourteen, I wanted an alias that could be used for computer games and my brother's online forum (2), but not just any name, it had to fit me.
My mom taught my siblings and me to love the outdoors, and because of this I wanted to choose a name from nature. I also wanted it to be unusual, and thirdly, it just needed to sound right. I began by looking through my mom's bird and plant books. In the index of her bird book, I came across “shrike.” Check. Check. Check. The first three requirements were now met, but did the bird fit my personality?
A shrike, or butcher bird, is fairly small. Although not the smallest in my family, I am the youngest.
It is called the butcher bird because of its strange practice of catching small animals such as lizards and impaling them on thorns. There it stores its prey for future use. When I first read about this bird I was slightly disturbed by its seemingly disgusting way of storing food. Soon, however, I got over this reserve and found this unusual behavior a fascinating way to make up for their lack of talons, or maybe I am just a little morbid (3). In addition, this method of storing food does suggest their emphasis on preparedness, which is important to me (4). This also seemed fitting because, although I come from a laid back family, I am the feistiest.
Butcher birds have nondescript plumage, it is mostly black, gray, and white. I feel that my appearance is nondescript, just like a shrike (5). When people look past my 'feathers' and get to know me they might find me just as surprising, but hopefully not as disgusting as the shrike (6).
The butcher bird's harsh cry appealed to me as well. At the time I chose my alias I rarely spoke in school, and although I don't consider myself particularly gregarious, I have become less reserved (7). The shrike's call also suited me because I am definitely no song bird!
Finally, like the shrike which lives throughout most of the United States, I have traveled much of the country.
Now I often go by "Shrike" in games. Although I chose the name four years ago, it still fits me well. My love of nature, my preparedness, and my slightly passive-aggressive nature have not changed since then. Shrike was, and is, the perfect name for me (8).

(1) This is a reference to the first line of Moby Dick, which I rebelliously liked, because no one else did. "Call me Ishmael."

(2) I still use this as my default alias for online things. I also continue to feel connected to shrikes. 

(3) When my siblings proofread this paper they objected to this word choice. They thought it implied that I was a cutter or just goth. That is not what I meant but I didn't know how else to say it. My friend introduced me last week by saying, "she likes dead things." It's true. I like bones (as you would know if you're read this blog). Perhaps I am a bit morbid.

(4) Sometimes I get weirdly defensive when I don't have something someone needs, even if there is no reason I should have it.

(5) Not only do I feel nondescript but I prefer to dress nondescript. Unlike my sister who wears red because it is her "happy color," I avoid wearing red and some other warm bright colors most of the time because it makes me feel too obvious.

(6) I've decided I might be a bit quirky and most of the time I like that... but I also have a pretty good filter so my odder traits/actions I squelch most of the time. Sometimes I wonder if that is a good thing or not, maybe it is better to be blatantly odd from the beginning... but it is easier to get offended that way.

(7) This continues to be true, I have become less reserved in some situations (but not all). But I have also realized I tend to be pretty blunt, I don't sugarcoat things much, and that might not make my "call" appealing to some.

(8) Well it's been more than 10 years since I choose "shrike" as an alias, and wrote about it... and yet it still seems to fit. Maybe I was a wiser 14 year old than I thought. Or maybe I just want it to fit so I make it. :)

Types of Patience

Just like I believe everyone is creative I think most people are patient, just in different ways. I first realized this when I was middle school and I would do sewing projects, which often involved unpicking. My sister didn't have patience for such things (which is funny because she now does way more sewing than I do). My mom (I think) pointed out that although I had more patience with sewing than my sister, my sister had more patience with kids, (she liked to babysit, I did not).
I think this is really normal. Some people don't mind waiting in line, others hate it. Some don't mind long, repetitive, mundane tasks or sitting at traffic lights or digging a cm at a time.

Enjoyment takes Effort

Last week I went to a church sponsored activity. It was snow tubing at a resort. The idea is they have these long trails that are groomed and then there is a pulley system that will drag you up the mountain/hill so you don't have to walk to the top.

A few years ago, I went sledding with some of my roommates and they took snow mobiles so that when we got to the bottom the snow mobiles could pull us back to the top. It was fun but it wasn't my favorite way to go sledding. I thought it was because I don't love the smell of gasoline marring the "fresh mountain air," or the sound either. It is just noisy! I do think that was some of why I didn't love it, but maybe there was something more to it because this tubing experience wasn't the best either. Granted I wasn't in the best mood to begin with so that didn't really help my outlook but it did make me wonder if sometimes in the modern world there is so much that can be done to make things easy that we forget that sometimes (always?) it is the work that makes things worth it. The only time I really exerted myself on this tubing adventure was when I ended up helping the employees put away the tubes at the end of the night... And that was completely optional.

But just to be clear the tracks were really fast and were pretty cool.

The other thing I think I miss in some of this type of experience is the idea of exploration. I tried out each of the 5 tracks, but the whole time I was wondering what was on the other side of the hill. My roommate didn't even try out the different routes, she just asked the employee at the top of the hill which track was the best and went with that.

I just felt like I was missing out on 2 of 3 of the most important elements of enjoyment (that I made up just now), effort, discovery, and a fun activity.... But then again maybe I just thought too much...

Patience and Expectations

Several times lately I have told people, or just noticed, that different things in my life are going slowly. This includes my writing projects, my thesis project, the papers I've been grading and even aspects of my personal scripture study.

After a few different comments and some of my own ponderings I realized there was some reasons for this.

The first problem: Some of these projects I don't spend that much time. This last week I only spent a half hour at the most per day on my writing. Is it any wonder I haven't made very fast progress?

The second problem: My expectations tend to be too hopeful at times. I expect to be able to do a bit project in a week... even when I am working on it most of the work/school day that might not happen, because guess what? It's a big project!

On occasion I have been told I'm patient... maybe in some things, but apparently not in expectations.

Creation, More Than What You Put In

This is a painting I did in my high school art class. The teacher had a series of pictures from magazines that she had cut out and then let us pick one. Someone picked the one I wanted so I picked this one. After painting it (I struggled, we were supposed to be doing impressionism) I took it home and my Mom said it reminded me of my Dad's hometown. My brother-in-law asked why I had painted a dragon into it.
Neither was my intention.
I was surprised what other people saw in it.
A few weeks ago I was talking to my sister about my book. I was trying to figure out if I could emphasize certain characteristics in my main character. I had one example. My sister then proceeded to list off like 5 or 6 other examples of how the main character displayed that characteristic. I wrote the book. I knew what she was talking about but I hadn't realized that that characteristic was actually that important to the character.
My Dad told me that he knows he has done a good job programming something if he finds new ways to use it and it isn't limited to only what he initially programmed it for.
It seems like sometimes it is the interaction between the creation and a new person that reveals new depths but sometimes it is the creator him or herself that sees new potential in the already completed work.
It seems like the bigger and more involved the work the more potential it has. No wonder the creation of new life is so incredible and is it any wonder that creation is such an integral part of godhood.