Gonna Be A Ninja...

It's amazing how inspired you can be spending only three hours outside on a beautiful day. Okay, so I'm back in front of the computer rather than staying outside, but I just had so many wonderful thoughts that I thought I'd record a few. Wow! So much to write about in one day! But I’m sure I will be distracted by many things before I actually finish getting it all down, such as playing with my dog, eating, or answering the phone.

I began my afternoon (once I got off the computer at about 12:30 that is) by heading out for a warm up run, planning to stretch afterward and then going for the actual workout run. It went okay, considering I hadn't run since high school, except for one time with Chelsea and Hannah during the first semester at Uha. So I'm out of shape, but it felt good to get outside and sweat a little. The wind pushed against me from different angles every now and then. That felt good, too. A random headache made its presence known toward the end of my run, and my shoes had both become untied even after double knotting them. I don't really remember specifically what my thoughts were during the run, but that's okay. It wasn't until after I got back to the house that I had my inspired thoughts.

The Sky Alone Brings Glory to the Lord Who Created It

I headed to the backyard for my post-warm-up stretching. The grass was very cushiony and inviting. I started with the stretches you stand up for, then sat down to do other kinds of stretching. I was exhausted, and so I ended up falling asleep right there in the yard. I was gently awakened by my sister, Kaylee, who had just gotten back from school. She asked if I had called my dad, which I had earlier. She went back inside. I lied there still, looking up at a very blue sky with large, fluffy patches of cumulus clouds swimming across the sky at various heights, occasionally crossing paths. With the grandeur of the sky above me and the sun on my face, with my hands folded over my eyes, palms facing outward, I couldn't help but be in wonder at the presence of the Almighty creator of the world. I considered the scientific theories I had heard about how the world was created, from the "big bang" to the dust cloud theory, and realized how much I disagreed with them. How can God not exist!? I just haven't been convinced that there is any other possibility to the world's creation other than that the Lord is the designer of it all. He is perfect; hence the earth was made perfect. Science makes sense with all its proven formulas and laws because God created everything that science derives from. Science works because God works. Math works because God works. Some things just make perfect sense, and it is because God is perfect. Okay, I'm being redundant now, but those are the thoughts I had just by looking at the sky.

“Anything worth having is worth waiting for.”

The next conversation I had with myself derived out of a quote from a book I am reading, dealing with the idea of marriage and dating and the like. It reads, “Anything worth having is worth waiting for.” I thought about this sentence, so simple, yet so true. And I tried to find something I could relate it to that would help me understand it better. This is what I came up with:

If you’ve ever been to an amusement park with crazy roller coasters and all kinds of ways to test your limits of adventure and thrill, as well as how much your head or stomach can take, you’ll know that with every great ride there comes a waiting line. When everyone is on vacation in the summer, the parks fill up with tons of people looking to have a good time. This also means that the biggest and baddest rides have the longest lines and the longest waits. There are several ways to handle the situation of a line like one such as these. Of course, there are sub-categories with some of these, exceptions, but I’ll just stick to the main ideas here.

I’ll use the Superman at Six Flags as an example. (And remember I’m mainly using this example to compare it with the idea of waiting for something that is worth waiting for, such as sex, dating, marriage, etc.)
You are at Six Flags and all you want to do is ride the Superman, for you have yet to experience its speed and wonder. You run all through the park just to get to it. It’s a beautiful summer day, perfect weather for some intense riding. However, as you arrive at your ideal ride, you notice a sign that says, “Wait: 2-3hours.” You ask yourself, Is it really worth it?

Possibility #1
You decide it’s not worth the wait. You go on to do other smaller things like kid rides or games, trying to fill your day with things to do and get your money’s worth. After all, that’s playing it safe, isn’t it? All day long you hear the screams of people on the big rides, having the time of their life. You want to be with them, but you aren’t willing to wait the whole two or three hours for it. Well, all the little things leave you disappointed by the end of the day. They’ve kept you busy and temporarily satisfied, but you still never did ride the mighty Superman.

Possibility #2
You decide that riding the Superman is definitely worth the wait! What’s a couple hours anyways? You can just make friends with the people in line, perhaps complaining about the heat or your sudden urge to urinate. Maybe a fight breaks out between two irritated kids and you’re forced to break them up. Or maybe you find a little girl wandering through the line without a parent, so you keep her with you until her mother comes pushing through the line to get her. Perhaps many challenges will come to your way, besides the grandest challenge of waiting in line. And know that once you’re in line, there’s no getting out. Not that you’re physically incapable of such a feat, but waiting half way only to not follow through would be worse than not waiting at all! And so you wait up until you are near the lines for individual seating on the ride itself. Now here’s where your third and fourth possibility comes into play.

Possibility #3
This is it! You’ve made it this far. Turning back is not an option. You can practically feel yourself defying gravity as you get closer to the end of the line. One car comes in, carrying people with red faces and sore throats. They are unloaded to let the next riders on. The new riders are thrilled that their turn has finally come. They prepare themselves for the flight by securing their personal belongings and harnessing themselves in properly. Everyone’s face is calm and excited at the same time, and all hair is in place. You notice a situation now. It appears there is quite a long line for the front seat. You have the option to go sooner than later by simply settling for one of the back seats. Maybe even the second seat will suit you. It’s close enough to the front, right? You decide not wait any longer. After waiting in line for about two and a half hours, you just want to ride already! So you jump in line for the third seat. You soon pass by the people waiting in line for the front seat. They still have a ways to go. You are content with your decision, but as you board the ride you see the front seat two rows in front of you. Had you waited a bit longer, it could have been yours. You have fun on the ride, telling yourself it was worth it, but you can’t help but wonder now what the front seat feels like. Maybe next time, but you’ll have to wait in line again.

Possibility #4
What??? How can you come this far and not go further? There’s no way you’re settling for some back seat, as tempting as it may be, and as close as it is. You’ve waited a long time for this ride, having had to deal with people pushing and shoving, kids fighting and letting lost, and that one guy spitting water at his friends, getting your cell phone wet. You’ve had just about enough! Sure you’d love to get the wait over with and just go, but then you’d be missing out on the ultimate awesomeness of the Superman experience! The front row is ideal! You’ve heard the stories of its wonder, the legend of its speed, and the sound of its power. You HAVE to ride up front! So you end up waiting about another half hour or so for the front, just about ready to explode! You see at least another fifteen cars go out only to return once again, full of red happy faces and wild hair. Your time has come! You did it! You secure your stuff, latch your safety belt, pull down the harness, and look forward at no one else in front of you. The car begins its ascent toward the sky as the operators of the ride wave you off. “Enjoy the ride!” they say. You know you are not only going to enjoy it but conquer it! You finally reach the peak, and seeing as there are no cars ahead of you, you are a leader along with the other guy or girl who decided to wait in the line beside you. The descent. Together you are flying over the world, zipping through tunnels and soaring over trees! And those ants down there are people! You let out a cry of triumph, prompting your fellow conqueror to do likewise. At that moment in time you are both screaming out to the sky. Your blood is pumping, your throat is hoarse, and your hair? Who cares! You’re a warrior now! As you arrive back from your journey, the car settles in its place, and you are ready to move on with wobbling legs to your next challenge. And look! That person that you were screaming with and waiting next to is headed in the same direction. You team up and conquer the next ride together.

So that is how I ended up looking at that quote. Referring to #4, do you think waiting in line for that is worth it? Some people do, some don’t. For me, I’m totally aiming for the front seat! I don’t care how long I have to wait. Anything worth having or doing, in my opinion, IS well worth the wait. And it makes the goal so much sweeter! (Like wine, too, I guess. Though I’m not really into wine, I’ve heard from many people that wine tastes better with age. You can’t buy a new bottle of wine and expect it to be fifty years old, right? You have to wait. )

Ninja Time!
Okay, this one is a bit more random and hopefully shorter. It’s 10:37PM right now. I’m beat! So, anyways… As I lied outside in the grass, my dog would occasionally come over to me with her chewed up roped toy, implying that I should throw it for her enjoyment. I did, and she retrieved it only to return to return to her shaded spot under a tree. I wanted to play more though. So I called her, stole her rope, and began rolling in the grass and running around with her until I finally decided to forfeit her treasure. I looked around, and noticing that my bottle had found its way to the patio, I rolled over to it and took cover behind a chair. I looked around the yard for other places that would make acceptable hiding spots. Then I remembered a time one summer night when my cousins or some friends were over. We were playing one of those hiding/tagging games. I’ve always had a thing for trying to find interesting ways to hide myself, especially if I could hide in the open and still not be seen. So one of the places I found on that night was a shadow. Yes, a shadow. The patio light was the only thing illuminating the backyard, casting dark figures across the ground. We used to have a bird feeder on a pole that cast a really long shadow right near the patio where the person who was “it” would count. The bird feeder on top was cylindrical and box-like. I had dark clothes on, and the shadow from the feeder was wide enough and long enough for me to lie on. And I did. I think it was one of the coolest places I ever hid in. And it worked, too! The person finished counting and walked in my direction. I just lied there on my stomach, in the grass, as still and flat as I could. Didn’t even notice me until I was up and running for base, but by then it was too late for him/her to get me. So…yeah. I think it’d be cool to be a ninja, stealthy, secretive, and unseen even in the open. But I guess I really just like running around in the dark as low-key as I can. That’s why those games in the dark are my favorite. Or any game at night really can work as long as I get to sneak around and stuff. Yep… Gonna be a ninja!

If you read this whole entry, wow! Just… WOW! I applaud you. No, really! I just clapped, so now you know that clap is with this entry. And I’ll even clap for you as it’s being submitted. You rock!