Closing Time

As I finally slow down and review 2007, I am overwhelmed with a surprising sense of renewal. Last year at this time my main objective was to simply take things one day at a time and hope for better days. I guess they're here, for 2008 I am much more optimistic. I've found a sense of excitement for the coming year.

Before moving on to these new beginnings, I find my thoughts pondering endings and that inevitable end. Rest assured, I'm not planning for death by any means, but realizing it's coming for us all has forced me to reset my priorities. Helping me to spend more time doing things, and surrounding myself around people that I truely enjoy. These quotes may sound morbid, but for me they are inspiring as we all look towards a new year…

“Death is the one thing that connects us all. It reminds us that what’s really important is who we’ve touched, how much we’ve given. It makes us realize that we have to be good to one another.” –Heroes

“In this world, one day death is going to take the life from everything that you love. So while you’re able, love what you have. Takes the death from your life.” – Dean Koontz

“Death may be the greatest of all human blessings.” – Socrates

“To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.”
“You think the dead we love ever truly leave us? You think that we don’t recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble?” – Albus Dumbledore

TAG

I was tagged twice and since April hails from the motherland and I do anything Megs says here we go…

Places I've lived

1. Downtown, Salt Lake City
2. Sigma Chi House, University of Utah
3. Holladay, UT
4. Taipei, Taiwan

Places I've been on vacation

1. Kona, Hawaii
2. Cozumel, Mexico
3. Vancouver, Canada
4. Taipei, Taiwan

Foods I like

1. Anything deep fried
2. Mexican
3. Sushi
4. Actually try and find something I don’t like

Hobbies I have

1. Watching my Utes
2. Running and cycling
3. Learning
4. Ecotourism – hopefully I’ll get better at this one

Things I would do if I were a billionaire

1. Travel the world
2. Sponsor college students
3. Take care of the little guy
4. Fight a grizzly bear

T.V. shows I like

1. The Office
2. Heroes
3. Scrubs
4. Seinfeld

Places I'd Like to be

1. With nature, in the mountains, going a little faster than I should at my skill level
2. At a sporting event, preferable college
3. With friends, the place doesn’t matter
4. With you, I can’t stand being alone

Things people don't know about me

1. I love the awkward, I truly do
2. I hold on to things for far too long, the inability to let go is just one of my challenges
3. I’m afraid of a lot of things, but my pride makes me do just about anything to hide/overcome this
4. I have very high expectations for people, even you

Revolution

Thomas Jefferson once said that every generation needs a new revolution. Just like every generation before, we face our own set of problems. Global warming, oil supply, terrorism, HIV, poverty, literacy, human rights, health care, the list goes on and on. With so many issues and so many people ready to tell you what's wrong, my generation seems to be overloaded and not responding very well.

I have had the privilege to be surrounded by many who do not share this same apathy. I get to see everyday many passionate and motivated people that are committed to doing their part and caring about those that seem to not care about themselves. They relentlessly fight the good fight even though the odds are not our side; they look out not for themselves but for others. They are more afraid of losing an opportunity then they are of making a mistake which causes them to act.

The greatest parts about these actions are that they are infectious. You don’t have to be around this behavior very long to start wanting to do something yourself. I believe this is how it starts; every generation on their own must find their way. It's about time we start getting in the game, it's about time for our own revolution.

Thinking Outside the Box

Mario R. Capecchi, Ph.D. was awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - the world's highest recognition for contributions to basic and clinical medical research, for work he completed back in 1989. Apparently this delay is common, there is a long list of potential winners, it's a tricky selection process since they do not award prizes to anyone after they've past away.

In an interview Dr. Capecchi describes his comfort zone as the point there science and science fiction intersect. This man spent his days working where few ever dare, risking his career he ignored the practical and broke down barriers making what was supposed to be impossible possible. Without his man who knows when we would have been able to map the human genome.

For me Dr. Capecchi is much more than some guy that won a prize for doing something I really don't understand, he is also a Ute. And winning such a prize as a Ute actually made me proud of whom I was. It also charged me with an energy and motivation to chase my dreams and look for ways to add my own luster. I'm not saying I'm setting out to win a Nobel Prize, but in this age of school shootings, genocide, and Paris Hilton, it's nice to learn something worth feeling good about. For that Dr. Capecchi, I thank you.

Dreams are answers to questions we haven't yet figured out how to ask.

Anticipation

Growing up I never thought too much about where I'd go, what I'd do, or how I'd get there. I didn't really worry about those details; I just focused on what I was passionate about and knew I would end up happy. For the last year or so I seemed to have lost my compass and have been suffering from a serious lack of any real passion.

Not to say I haven’t had enjoyed my privileged existence, but I need to not be such a good sleeper. I can’t remember the last time I could not sleep or got up early looking forward to something I was doing. I am disturbed by this and have searched pretty deeply for some answers. It’s time I take the focus off myself and do something about it.

Knockout

You never expect the blow that floors you, for this very reason it is able to knock you right off your feet. We try to keep our guard up and defend ourselves in every way, but eventually we all fall. I believe once it happens to you, you’re never the same.

They say the best boxers are the ones that have never been knocked down. Once a fighter has fallen, they carry a fear with them and no longer take the risk necessary to become a champion.

I say the boxer that has never been knocked down has simply not challenged a worthy opponent and a large part of life is getting a taste of that cold hard matte. A true mark of a champion is not one without defeat, but one that knows the pains and sorrows of life well yet has the courage to face them time and time again.

A champion has to be able to take a good punch. - Muhammad Ali

If you're going through hell, keep going. - Winston Churchill

When it is dark enough, you can see the stars. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Damaged people are dangerous. They know they can survive. - Josephine Hart

I don't like people who have never fallen or stumbled. Their virtue is lifeless and it isn't of much value. Life hasn't revealed its beauty to them. - Boris Pasternak