Braided Essay

1. The First Sunday Experience
I walk into the doors with my friend Jeff. I look around. Who are these people? Are these really all the singles from my community? I don't know who most of these people are. Am I in the right building? Jeff's been here before, but I'm still not sure. Jeff assures me "this is it." I still don't know. It feels weird; different. Sacrament meeting ends, most people walk by, some say hello.
2. Life, As it Was Before
Growing up I started in one of the eleven or so wards in my Stake in our community. I knew a few people, but then again I was three. The ward split, it was time to meet new people. I grew up in the new ward, with new people. At first I did not know who lived where or who belonged to what family, but eventually I got a hold of where I was. I made some great friends who I today consider to be some of my best friends. Life is good. I go to Sacrament meeting. I go to Sunday school. I can talk to my friends and here all the news and interesting stories they have from the week. I leave church Spiritually and mentally nourished. Life is good.
3. Change
Many of us are suspect of change and will often fight and resist it before we have even discovered what the actual effects will be. When change is thought through carefully, it can produce the most rewarding and profound experiences in life. The changes we make must fit the Lord’s purposes and patterns.-Elder Marvin J Ashton
4. Learning Something Knew
Well the first Single's ward Sunday is over. It is not what I expected but, change rarely is. The people seem nice. The teachers are good. Maybe change isn't so bad after all. Maybe change leads to something more, something that helps us gain a greater perspective. Single's ward may not be what I expected, what's more I never saw myself going to single's ward as a kid, that was always way too far off. Single's ward was for old people. Sure it's not what it used to be, but this could be good too. Jeff drops me off at my house. "Are you going to come next week?" "Yeah. Probably." I reply. Maybe it's time for change.

Waste Land

     So this post has nothing to do with my topic of small Mormon communities, but I still think it's pretty interesting so I'm going to post it anyway. So the other day I had an assignment given to us by my English professor. She wanted us to watch a movie called "Waste Land." This movie is basically a documentary about this guy named Vik Muniz who wants to go to a giant landfill in Brazil and make art from garbage found throughout the area. It really doesn't sound too interesting on the outside, but once you get into it you start to realize that it is much more than "garbage art."
    One interesting aspect of this landfill in Rio de Janeiro is the job of the "pickers." Their job is essentially to pick out recyclable material and load it onto trucks. As the documentary gets going you realize a lot of the people working there are really hard workers. They are doing their daily grind, the day to day things that help their families get by. Eventually Muniz decides on what he wants to do for his works, and the results turn out pretty impressive. What's even cooler than the end result is that he has people from their old jobs in the landfill making the art. They eventually make a good amount of money for the organization of the pickers, that was a significant help to them.
     Probably the best part of watching this movie was seeing people who were very different come together and make something amazing. It was really interesting to see the way Muniz could talk to the pickers and the way they talked to him. You can tell that there was a mutual respect between the artist and the pickers, which is something really amazing to witness. If you are looking for a good documentary, or just something that will help you have a broader view of the world, I strongly suggest this movie.

My LDS Community Paradox

So today I want to talk about something I consider a paradox about growing up in my community. One interesting thing about living in my town is the dynamics of different social situations. You would think that living in a community that is primarily LDS would make everyone pretty much the same. However growing up, especially going to school, you can tell everyone is definitely different. It's interesting living in an area like this because almost everyone's Mormon, but everyone doesn't keep exactly the same standards. We, like everyone else in the world, make mistakes. But sometimes it is hard to see someone do something and you think "hmm. should they be doing that?" I feel like sometimes the lines get blurred as far as what we are supposed to do or who we are supposed to be exactly. I am not saying that people are going out and sinning all of the time, it is actually quite the opposite. But when you see someone in a situation that is a little gray like this it makes you think "what are my standards and would I ever do something like that?" I guess you evaluate who you are. I've heard of many members who live in other areas outside of Utah and many of them are very strong. They have grown up in the church and have to stand by their morals because they are all they've got. They can't look at other members and say "Is that ok?" They instead say "I can't be doing that." I know this sounds like a blanket statement, and I know this is definitely not the case. I am not trying to put down my community at all. But I just wanted to show that people all make decisions and even in "Happy Valley Utah" you have to keep you standards up and do your best. Within the last year many of my friends have left to serve missions for the church, which is an awesome thing. I have been blessed with great friends and am really grateful for them. But the thing I am starting to realize is that in the end it is really up to you to decide how your life is going to go. Eventually you are going to have to do things for yourself and depend on the Lord for guidance. All we can do is be our best and be that person that hopefully will be seen and looked to as a positive example. The goal is to be someone that makes people say, "I want to be more like that," or "being around that him/her makes me want to be better," instead of "I know they are Mormon, should they be doing that?" I don't want to sound like I have been perfect either. There have been many times where I wish I wouldn't have said this or have done that. I like everyone else have made mistakes throughout the course of my life. Even though I know that I have a  long way to go, I also know that I can get better and improve each day. I know as well that I, as well as anyone reading this blog, can be a good example to others and that we can try to better ourselves everyday. One good example can really be that thing that picks others up and makes people want to be better.

Thanks for reading! Here is a link to someone who had a difficult situation to face. The article is from Brian Doyle and discusses his experience with his son when he found out he was missing a chamber in his heart when he was born. It has some really interesting points to think about.  http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/15/

Introduction to my Blog

So here it is, blog number one. The reason I am writing this blog is to talk a little bit about how a piece of my life that is a little unique. Maybe not in Utah, but most other places. I live in a small community in the Wasatch mountains. My town has about 8,000 people, give or take. Even though there are 8,000 people, when you come in contact with people at church, the schools or just around the block it turns out 8,000 people is a relatively small number. Everyone knows everyone, and if they don't, they know someone who knows someone else. There is something nice about living in a small town, something that brings the community together. Oh there is one more thing I haven't mentioned. Most everyone is one religion. I bet you can't guess it. Surprise, we're Mormon! What I want to talk about is a day in the life of living in my town, and this is the essence of my blog. I hope you enjoy it!

About Me

I am a male college freshman from Utah. I am in a writing and rhetoric class and going to be blogging about my experience growing up in a my small Mormon community. I am a third child out of four. I like to play sports, listen to music and do things with friends. I have many friends who have left on Mormon missions and I feel like they have made each made a big impact in my life. I also really like movies. Some of my favorites include Inception, Batman Begins, and Remember the Titans. I also enjoy listening to and playing the piano.