I've had a weird work history. I've worked seven different places, since I was 16, but some of them have been weird jobs. One of those jobs was at Home Depot, on the MET team. I would get there at 6:00 a.m., and reorganize the shelves, make sure tags were all in the right place, and straighten things up. This job was one where I would still be able to teach piano in the afternoons. For those that know me, this job was out of the ordinary for me. First, I am not a morning person at all! There were days I had to get up at 4:30 a.m., to make it to the store in North Ogden. The only reason to be up before 7:00 is a trip somewhere fun! Haha! Second, I'm the least knowledgeable person about anything you'll find in Home Depot- besides kitchen design- anyone would ever know. Third, I have this huge fear of birds, and birds fly freely through Home Depot, and often they'd be nesting on the shelves I was cleaning. Scared me to death! And lastly, I hate to be dirty! When I'd get home, I'd take my clothes off in the garage, after shutting it, so that none of that grossness had a chance to get on my floors. Oh, I sound kind of wimpy!
Anyways, I bring this whole job thing up, because of an experience I had working there. There was this really tough guy that worked there, he looked like he spent hours at the gym, you could tell he had some crazy life stories he could share, but he didn't. He was kind of the strong, silent type- unless he was telling dirty jokes. I'd see him walk by often, I could see him paying attention to me, but we never talked. Then one day he cornered me in one of the front end displays, and said, "Are you ALWAYS happy?" like it was a bad thing. It kind of took me back, first thing to ever come out of his mouth was that, and why would he think that? I replied with, "Um, no, why?", while thinking, 'Like anyone is happy at this time of day!' He said, "You are always singing!" I was? How embarrassing! Oh, I guess I sang a little here and there to the music. Then he went on questioning why I sing. Do I really love music that much? Do I really listen to all types of music, since I sing all types? That was the beginning of a really funny relationship!
I love music! My favorite escape is to go for a drive in the mountains, with my Sirius XM blasting, and me singing at the top of my lungs!
Just the other night, I was driving home from Salt Lake, again singing at the top of my lungs, with my mom in the car, and I realized that I was singing, because I was so happy. I recognized that I haven't sung like that much, at least not in the too distant past.
I'd gone through a period where it felt like everything had fallen apart, and I was a completely broken mess. I had a job where I would have to drive to job sites to check on my projects, and there was one location with many job sites that I frequented about three times a week for about a year. It was an hour and fifteen minutes one-way, unless I got stuck behind semis taking steel beams up there, and then it would be about two hours. I got to see some beautiful things, driving through the mountains, past lakes and rivers and pastures. It's a beautiful drive! I would have my Sirius playing, but I rarely sang along. Instead I'd cry. It had seemed like there was no light at the end of the tunnel.
After a few months of taking this trip in my broken mess of a life, I felt that nothing had improved, and I couldn't live like that anymore. It was about the same time that The Highway was having a release party for the new Cole Swindell album and H.O.L.Y. by Florida Georgia Line came out. I found myself singing, and loving it. At the same time, I was seeing more beauty in my drive- EVERY time. I'm sure my followers on Instagram got sick of all of my posts of the sky, mountains, lakes, etc., but I realized that I needed to choose to see the beauty.
So, I made it a goal to find one beautiful thing every single day! Remember I'm a designer, so colors and light are huge elements of my life. I'm amazed at how the sun, the sky- whether it's shades of gray or blue- and the greens of the trees relate to each other. It's so beautiful! I don't know how anyone could look at such beauty, and not believe. God created such a beautiful earth! There were days where I hadn't found any beauty, and then I'd see that last glimmer of sun, before darkness took over, and there it was my beauty I needed. I may have seen it for only a second, but that was enough.
These are some examples of the beauty I found:
I found something I loved. Between singing with the music and actually SEEING all of the beauty around me, I was saved from my brokenness. I know that I was inspired to LOOK for the beauty, and by listening to the Light, I was able to break free of the darkness that was holding on to me. I know that it was the guidance from my Savior, Jesus Christ, that brought me through, because had it been left up to me, and the things I thought would make things better, I'd still be crying on I-84, wondering why.
We were placed here to find joy and beauty. It was never intended for us to endure this life in misery. We must always look for the light, because that will bring us joy!
Anyways, I bring this whole job thing up, because of an experience I had working there. There was this really tough guy that worked there, he looked like he spent hours at the gym, you could tell he had some crazy life stories he could share, but he didn't. He was kind of the strong, silent type- unless he was telling dirty jokes. I'd see him walk by often, I could see him paying attention to me, but we never talked. Then one day he cornered me in one of the front end displays, and said, "Are you ALWAYS happy?" like it was a bad thing. It kind of took me back, first thing to ever come out of his mouth was that, and why would he think that? I replied with, "Um, no, why?", while thinking, 'Like anyone is happy at this time of day!' He said, "You are always singing!" I was? How embarrassing! Oh, I guess I sang a little here and there to the music. Then he went on questioning why I sing. Do I really love music that much? Do I really listen to all types of music, since I sing all types? That was the beginning of a really funny relationship!
I love music! My favorite escape is to go for a drive in the mountains, with my Sirius XM blasting, and me singing at the top of my lungs!
Just the other night, I was driving home from Salt Lake, again singing at the top of my lungs, with my mom in the car, and I realized that I was singing, because I was so happy. I recognized that I haven't sung like that much, at least not in the too distant past.
I'd gone through a period where it felt like everything had fallen apart, and I was a completely broken mess. I had a job where I would have to drive to job sites to check on my projects, and there was one location with many job sites that I frequented about three times a week for about a year. It was an hour and fifteen minutes one-way, unless I got stuck behind semis taking steel beams up there, and then it would be about two hours. I got to see some beautiful things, driving through the mountains, past lakes and rivers and pastures. It's a beautiful drive! I would have my Sirius playing, but I rarely sang along. Instead I'd cry. It had seemed like there was no light at the end of the tunnel.
After a few months of taking this trip in my broken mess of a life, I felt that nothing had improved, and I couldn't live like that anymore. It was about the same time that The Highway was having a release party for the new Cole Swindell album and H.O.L.Y. by Florida Georgia Line came out. I found myself singing, and loving it. At the same time, I was seeing more beauty in my drive- EVERY time. I'm sure my followers on Instagram got sick of all of my posts of the sky, mountains, lakes, etc., but I realized that I needed to choose to see the beauty.
So, I made it a goal to find one beautiful thing every single day! Remember I'm a designer, so colors and light are huge elements of my life. I'm amazed at how the sun, the sky- whether it's shades of gray or blue- and the greens of the trees relate to each other. It's so beautiful! I don't know how anyone could look at such beauty, and not believe. God created such a beautiful earth! There were days where I hadn't found any beauty, and then I'd see that last glimmer of sun, before darkness took over, and there it was my beauty I needed. I may have seen it for only a second, but that was enough.
These are some examples of the beauty I found:
This is the view from one of my houses I was working on. I loved that bridge!
(Ignore that wire- it was a construction site!)
I found something I loved. Between singing with the music and actually SEEING all of the beauty around me, I was saved from my brokenness. I know that I was inspired to LOOK for the beauty, and by listening to the Light, I was able to break free of the darkness that was holding on to me. I know that it was the guidance from my Savior, Jesus Christ, that brought me through, because had it been left up to me, and the things I thought would make things better, I'd still be crying on I-84, wondering why.
We were placed here to find joy and beauty. It was never intended for us to endure this life in misery. We must always look for the light, because that will bring us joy!
"Hope in God, His goodness, and His power refreshes us
with courage during difficult challenges."
-Deiter F. Uchtdorf
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