So...my walls are officially bare, all that's left on my book case are my text books and my printer (and a random pink flower that must have fallen off one of my pens. Today was the last day of the semester...I'll be here for three days next week then I'm out. It's sort of crazy to think how quickly a year can go by. I'm not going to list the lessons that I've learned or the epiphanies that I've had. I would like to document the words that I pulled off my wall today, bit by bit, until a wall that once had so much character was back to being a plain white wall.
-You don't love someone for their looks, or their clothes, or for their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear.
-No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world- Dead Poet's Society
-Friendship is born at the moment one perosn turns to another and says, "Wait! You too? I thought I was the only one!"-C. S. Lewis
-Yeah, I'm a streelight chillin' in the heat, I illuminate the stories of the people in the street. Some have happy endings, some are bittersweet, but I know them all and that's what makes my life complete! -In the Heights
-If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more. -Jane Austen
-You will need bravery and you will need boldness, because you are enlisted in the Lord's army in the last dispensation. This is not a time of peace. That has been so since Satan arrayed his forces against our Heavenly Father's plan in the pre-mortal existence. We don't know the details of the combat then. But we know one result. Satan and his followers were cast down into the earth. And since the creation of Adam and Eve, the conflict has continued. We have seen it intesify. And the scriptures suggest that the war will become more violent and the spiritual casualties on the Lord's side will mount. -President Henry B. Eyring
-Love, I thought, is stronger than death, or fear of death, for it is by it, by love, that life hold together and advances
-Don't promise me the moon or the stars, just promise you'll stay under them with me.
-Because I love you, I am going to speak to you heart to heart, without mincing words. I have seen that many time individuals have made great sacrifices to go to a distant temple, but when a temple is built close by, within a short time, many do not visit it regularly. I have a suggestion: when a temple is conveniently nearby, small things may interrupt your plans to go to the temple. Set specific goals, considering your circumstances, of when you can and will participate in temple ordinances. Then do no allow anything to interfere with that plan. This patter will guarantee that those who live in the shadow of a temple will be as blessed as are those who plan far ahead and make a long trip to the temple -Elder Richard G. Scott
-Our challenges, including those we create by our own decisions, are part of our test in mortality. Let me assure you that your situation is not beyond the reach of our Savior. Through Him, ever struggle can be for our experience and our good. Each temptation we overcome is to strengthen us, not destroy us. The Lord will never allow us to suffer beyond what we can endure. -Elder Robert D. Hales
-Best friends listen to what you don't say
-Without music, life would be a mistake
-It's in my every glance, my heart's an open book, you'd see it all at once if only you would look. -The Little Mermaid
-Brothers and Sisters, one of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path, utterly alonge, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path-the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of His beloved son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said, 'I will not leave you comfortless. My father and I will come to you and abide with you' -Elder Jeffery R. Holland
-For an instant, love can transform the world
-See us winter walking after a storm, it's chill in the wind, but it's warm in your arms. The stop all snow line, may not be true. We've all got our junk, and my junk is you. -Spring Awakening
-The words that escape a friend's mouth are, "I'll be there when you say you need me." But the words that are unheard from a true friend's heart are, "I'll be there...whether you say you need me or not."
-My beloved brothers and sisters, fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith. -President Thomas S. Monson
-Anyone who thinks only sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain
-As we daily confront a world full of negativity, doubt, fear, and even dread can creep into our hearts. President Thomas S. Monson has counseled us that 'fait and doubt cannot exist in the same mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other'. In Moroni we read that 'without faith there cannot be any hope'. We must exercise faith to take on life's challenges and changes. It is how we learn and progess. -Steven E. Snow
-A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment. -Jane Austen
-A friend is someone who knows the song of your heart and can sing it back toyou when you've forgotten the words.
-If I didn't care, more than words can say. If I didn't care, would I feel this way? If this isn't love then why do I thrill? What makes my head go round and round while my heart stands still? -Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day
-Not a day goes by, not a single day. But you're somewhere a part of my life, and it looks like you'll stay. As the days go by. -Merrily We Roll Along
-I bear you my testimony that God the Father lives. He set a course for each of us that can polish and perfect us to be with Him. I testify that the Savior lives. His atonement makes possible our being purified as we keep His commandments and our sacared covenants. And I know from my own experience that He can and will give us strength to rise through every trial. -President Henry B. Eyring
-What are men to rocks and mountains? -Jane Austen
-Be who you are, and say waht you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind. -Dr. Seuss
-The voice of the Lords is clear and unmistakable. He knows you. He loves you. He wants you to be eternally happy. But according to your God-given agency, the choice is yours. Each one of you has to decide for yourself if you are going to ignore the past and suffer the painful mistakes and tragic pitfalls that have befallen previous generations, experiencing for yourself the devastating consequences of bad choices. How much better your life will be if you will follow the noble example of the faithful followers of Christ such as the Sons of Helaman, Moroni, Joseph Smith, and the stalwart pioneers-and choose, as they did, to remain faithful to your Heavenly Father's commandments. -Elder M. Russell Ballard
-I wish you couldn't figure me out, but you'd always want to know what I was about. -Kate Nash
-One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter.
-I don't need a life that's normal, that's way too far away, but something next to normal, would be okay. Yes, something next to normal, that's the thing I'd like to try, close enough to normal...to get by. -Next to Normal
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Friday, April 30, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
4 Days Left to Live-Life Lessons Taught by a Rat
So...it's been two weeks since I last posted about my dear lab rat Grant. He only has four days left to live now. I've actually grown rather fond of the crimson-eyed O.C.D. vermin (and I say vermin in a very loving way). He does the cutest thing where he scraches his head. And I'm really going to miss watching him do that. So, even though his life has been rather short, and he hasn't been all that productive as a lab rat, he has taught me several crucial (or what I consider to be rather important) life lessons. So without further explanation, here are my life lessons taught by a rat (in no particular order).
1. Rats have their own personalities, just like people. For the first week Kimmy and I were desperately struggling to teach Grant what reinforcement was going to sound like. The funny thing is, when he finally passed off magazine training, our lab assistant had to watch him for almost fifteen minutes. You see, he was supposed to go from the back wall to the place where the water is dispensed ten times quickly. Grant however, is a stubborn little bugger and was much more inclined to go to the back wall once, drink the small drop of water he'd earned, then sit in the front corner for a minute or so before returning to the far wall. You could almost see the wheels in his little head turning as he sat in the front corner. He was probably thinking something along the lines of, "I know what you want me to do, but I don't feel inclined to do it right at this very moment, so you're going to have to wait." We have become quite convinced that he is a stubborn and lazy genius.
2. Rats don't always do what you want them to do when you want them to do it, sort of like children. I text my mom every day after the lab, usually to say something along the lines of, "Grant is stupid!" She tends to laugh at me and has commented more than once that this is a great lesson in patience for me that I'll be able to transfer over into parenting. As frustrated as this comment makes me, I know it's right (which in a roundabout way, almost makes things more frustrating). So I'm learning to be patient. VERY PATIENT. There was a day last week when we were only able to deliver ten reinforcers (in comparison to the eighty to a hundred the rats around us were receiving) because Grant sat in the front corner for nearly forty minutes, and then curled up and went to sleep.
3. Know how to utilize your time wisely. While Grant was being lazy and stubborn (as mentioned above) my partner Kimmy and I decided to study for the test we had in our behavior class the next day. That studying reassured me that I knew more of the chapters than I had initially thought, and I was glad that, even if my rat was being a lazy bum, I wasn't.
4. You never know when your time is going to be up, so you'd better make the best of it while you have the chance. This not only applies to the fact that Grant only has four days left to live period, this also relates to the fact that he can only receive water while in the operant chamber. He's in the operant chamber for about fifty minutes each day. If I were a rat who was on water deprivation, those fifty minutes would be pretty significant to me. I think I'd be doing about everything I possibly could to get my water. That's what this life test is like. We're on earth for just a short period of time. But that short period of time is crucial to our spiritual growth. It's a time to prove ourselves to our father in heaven. Doing everything that is right that is going to allow me to return to my heavenly father someday is like what Grant and the other rats do to get water. And like Grant, some days we are stubborn and look out at the world while thinking, "I know what you want me to do, but I don't feel inclined to do so right at this very moment, so you're going to have to wait." I'd like to think that I'm learning to eliminate those moments from my life. I want to do everything in my power during my time in the operant chamber of life, rather than discover that it's the end and I'm still thirsty.
5. You should probably give people just as much chance as you give to a white albino rat. In the beginning, I thought that Grant looked creepy...and sort of ugly. But after watching him struggle to receive water in the operant chamber, even on the first day, I started thinking he was adorable. I know there are many times I don't give people that same chance. I look at them and decide what I think without knowing a single thing about them. I hope to give people the same chance I gave my rat...and I hope that they'll give me that same chance.
1. Rats have their own personalities, just like people. For the first week Kimmy and I were desperately struggling to teach Grant what reinforcement was going to sound like. The funny thing is, when he finally passed off magazine training, our lab assistant had to watch him for almost fifteen minutes. You see, he was supposed to go from the back wall to the place where the water is dispensed ten times quickly. Grant however, is a stubborn little bugger and was much more inclined to go to the back wall once, drink the small drop of water he'd earned, then sit in the front corner for a minute or so before returning to the far wall. You could almost see the wheels in his little head turning as he sat in the front corner. He was probably thinking something along the lines of, "I know what you want me to do, but I don't feel inclined to do it right at this very moment, so you're going to have to wait." We have become quite convinced that he is a stubborn and lazy genius.
2. Rats don't always do what you want them to do when you want them to do it, sort of like children. I text my mom every day after the lab, usually to say something along the lines of, "Grant is stupid!" She tends to laugh at me and has commented more than once that this is a great lesson in patience for me that I'll be able to transfer over into parenting. As frustrated as this comment makes me, I know it's right (which in a roundabout way, almost makes things more frustrating). So I'm learning to be patient. VERY PATIENT. There was a day last week when we were only able to deliver ten reinforcers (in comparison to the eighty to a hundred the rats around us were receiving) because Grant sat in the front corner for nearly forty minutes, and then curled up and went to sleep.
3. Know how to utilize your time wisely. While Grant was being lazy and stubborn (as mentioned above) my partner Kimmy and I decided to study for the test we had in our behavior class the next day. That studying reassured me that I knew more of the chapters than I had initially thought, and I was glad that, even if my rat was being a lazy bum, I wasn't.
4. You never know when your time is going to be up, so you'd better make the best of it while you have the chance. This not only applies to the fact that Grant only has four days left to live period, this also relates to the fact that he can only receive water while in the operant chamber. He's in the operant chamber for about fifty minutes each day. If I were a rat who was on water deprivation, those fifty minutes would be pretty significant to me. I think I'd be doing about everything I possibly could to get my water. That's what this life test is like. We're on earth for just a short period of time. But that short period of time is crucial to our spiritual growth. It's a time to prove ourselves to our father in heaven. Doing everything that is right that is going to allow me to return to my heavenly father someday is like what Grant and the other rats do to get water. And like Grant, some days we are stubborn and look out at the world while thinking, "I know what you want me to do, but I don't feel inclined to do so right at this very moment, so you're going to have to wait." I'd like to think that I'm learning to eliminate those moments from my life. I want to do everything in my power during my time in the operant chamber of life, rather than discover that it's the end and I'm still thirsty.
5. You should probably give people just as much chance as you give to a white albino rat. In the beginning, I thought that Grant looked creepy...and sort of ugly. But after watching him struggle to receive water in the operant chamber, even on the first day, I started thinking he was adorable. I know there are many times I don't give people that same chance. I look at them and decide what I think without knowing a single thing about them. I hope to give people the same chance I gave my rat...and I hope that they'll give me that same chance.
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