About a year ago I received an opportunity to serve with about 100 freshman and some upper-classmen who are my neighbors on campus. I live, eat and go to school with them. We play and best of all serve together in much love, laughter, and unity. Many of them think coming to college means giving up light hearted, wholesome clean fun for some serious more sophisticated adult expectations of the fast paced competitive world in which we live. Somehow in this race to excel, they lose their glimmer of hope, song of the heart, and innate tendency to long for home...yet in jest I find great excitement in adding small delights to their days here as they learn in the great school called life. Teaching through example, we see others who know life really has no limits except the ones we set...At the Union this afternoon I met a friend for lunch and as we were leaving, met some more friends on the patio. Here we found some lovely gentlemen and ladies in attire from the same era of the old military vehicles they had on display. There was a young man getting his picture taken by one of these finely dressed blokes and then I had a idea...a marvelous idea we should hop in a military jeep and take a picture too! As I delivered my plan of smiling big and asking these fine people ever so nicely, my young friends said it wouldn't work and it seemed really silly of me to make such a request. Then without much prodding I put on a big smile and with a warm handshake plus some exuberant enthusiasm we were in the car and ready for our picture to be taken. Afterwards my friend thanked me. She was surprised how much fun it really had been.
Another experience of college life is not sweating the small stuff and then figuring out most stuff is small (Thanks John B). I went to bring a house-mate to the airport this morning between classes and a real life experience occurred. House 611 is a co-ed honors house of 6 females and 6 males. I've come to the harsh reality beggars can't be choosers and this is exactly what I am. :o) Carter is one of my brothers here in our house family. He was one of the guys who helped me complete my Halloween dream of dressing up like Lil Red this year and accompanying me as Granny (Carter) and Jack the Woodsman (Kevin). Anyway, this morning I knocked on Dave and Carter's door to see if Dave was ready and all I heard was, "Come in." As I opened the door and took a step into the room there was Carter just chill'n in his boxers. He looked at me with the widest blue eyes-me being paralyzed by the rush of blood to my head stood in shock, then apologized and taking a step backward shut the door to his room. As I collected my faculties and waited outside for him to get dressed, took a few deep breaths taking in what had just happened; I let out a sigh of relief, recognizing that was probably the most comfortable situation it could have been.
At least it was Carter and we have a mutual respect for each other to know it would never be awkward. He comes in the bathroom as I wash my face I come and talk to him in the bathroom as he brushes his teeth. In retrospect I there is so much fun and adventure to live in a house with peeps of similar age and what a benefit we can all be to each other. I came home this evening and he'd lost an assignment in a computer lab, one he'd already redone once this week. Dear Carter was ever so frustrated; Kevin and Anthony were diligently searching for the assignment on his hard drive, but with no avail. In conversation I helped Carter to see his best option was to not fret about the assignment, explain to his professor what happened and finish studying for his Physics exam tomorrow. How absolutely fascinating to be close as friends, brothers, sisters, councilors, tutors, examples, and doctors. We sooth each others pains, sicknesses, heartache, and I love the environment of sharing and love that is maintained in our home. We are a family...a family of friends.
Here in Utah, one of my favorite pastimes is to be out of the city and up in the mountains. I find there to be much growth, strength, symbolism and introspection found in these monuments of grand design. Ky and I went up one Saturday in September. We were trying to find a newer climb without a recent map and the book we had did not contain a trail to the route. I recall having trouble finding it with Josh last fall, but was confident we'd find it that morning. We started at the furthest ridge and ended up going either around or over three more peaks until we came to our destination. By this time we were pooped from our previous climbing, hiking, scaling, and adventures. The strength we had once had was gone leaving us have no desire to climb. Our destination was met and our energy already spent to the leisure of clipping in and pushing up a route. The views we had seen that morning were amazing and some I remember with astounding vividness. We were bruised, battered, and our hearts torn for not getting to the climb without the added detours. Yet, these detours were beautiful and I look upon that day with much fondness. Had we a map to lead our way we would have climbed to even higher peaks that day! We had not a map and looking back can now say...from here on out we'll be better prepared and look forward to May! 
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