It’s surprising how much your other senses are enhanced when one sense is deprived. It’s 9pm and I’m out trying to find my way down the mountain. The only thing I have besides the clothes on me is half a bottle of water. No flashlight, nothing. It’s completely dark out except for the light from the moon and the stars in the sky. There’s a full moon tonight. The only thing keeping me from completely freaking out is hearing the voices of fellow hikers. I can’t see them but I can hear them, two of them about 3 or 4 switchbacks down the mountain, and 3 of them about 6 or 7 switchbacks up the mountain behind me. Watching the moon rise was amazing. Hiking beneath the moonlight was difficult, but it did look amazing when I stopped to look up at the moon and the shadows cast from the mountains. It would have been much more enjoyable had I been lying on an open field staring up at the stars. But it was a good time for reflection, thoughts, and prayer. Just being.

I have never been much of a hiker. In fact, I don’t really consider myself to be one of those outdoorsy types that enjoy the mountains, lakes, camping, or anything like that. I do like playing sports outside or just going to the park but those are different. But in the past few months I have taken on our weekly hiking trips. I can’t say if I actually like it or don’t like it. I just kind of do it. It’s a good workout. It’s good to get out and do something different. I have yet been at the top of the mountain on a clear day where I can see the ocean but I’m sure the view is absolutely amazing when you can. I guess thats what I want to see. I love the beauty of the sky, the beauty of the ocean, and the combination of the two is nearly breathtaking. I’m waiting to see that.

Somewhat eventful week.

22. That’s how many pairs of sport shorts I have. I guess its more than the average person. I’ve always wanted to lay them all out like that. :) If you know me, you’ll know that I just really really like basketball shorts. Most of those are basketball shorts. When I think about it, 22 seems like a lot of sport shorts for one person to have. But, it seems like I am always open to getting more. Yes I am somewhat of a brand whore when it comes to sport shorts. I never realized I had so many blue shorts considering I really like the black and red ones. Oh, I did have this other pair of yellow ones but I think my bro has them. Anyway, I don’t like all of the sport shorts I have. In fact, that pair of Reebok’s, I never wear. I got those because they were part of a uniform I had when I was working at a sports camp. I’m actually quite picky about the shorts I buy. Texture, weight, color, style, and length all matter to me and price of course. Believe it or not, I’ve probably only paid full price on about <25% of the shorts. I’d say thats pretty good. Nike no longer makes the mesh shorts I have. They still make mesh shorts but not with the exact material. The new mesh is no good. I can’t find the old mesh anywhere. I have 3 pairs with that mesh. Nike also changed the material for their durasheen shorts. I really liked old Nike a lot better. Anyway, that’s all. Ha. Who knew a whole entry could be written about sport shorts.

Compassion makes us human.

Today I was touched by the actions of a lady. She didn’t do much but it was enough. She was welcoming and open, letting herself out for someone to get in, for a stranger. It’s the small things that count.

I’ve been doing some hiking and trail running weekly. Usually the people who go along have first aid and snake bite kits. Usually at the beginning of each trail there is a sign that says beware of snakes (rattlesnakes). The thought of snakes isn’t too pretty. I hadn’t seen one on any of our trips until last week. It got me thinking. These people are carrying snake bite kits around, but do they actually know how to use it. If one of us got bit, would they have to try to figure out how to use the kit? I guess it turns out that those people are somewhat familiar with it. Then I was thinking, what if it was just me and someone else and they got bit by a snake. I wouldn’t even know what to do. First its important to determine if the snake is poisonous. If it is you would need to call 911 immediately. But what if you don’t know. What are you supposed to do. I guess you are supposed to call 911 anyway. What if you don’t have a phone? Should you leave the person there and try to get help? I think you’re supposed to keep them calm. If there are people around, I’m sure you can get them to help, but if there weren’t? Then I was thinking, well maybe I could carry them to my car to take them to the ER. Well, if I were to do that, I guess it would be important to know where the closest hospital was. Which, I currently have no idea of. People don’t usually think of this stuff until it happens. And I guess its better to educate yourself just in case something does happen. Either way, I hope I don’t see anymore snakes. Those things are ugly and kind of creepy. The one we saw was kind of on the side of the path, I didn’t look at it long enough to try and determine if it was poisonous or not. And I didn’t really want to. Would you know what to do if you or someone got bit by a snake? And no, you aren’t supposed to slice the person or suck at the venom with your mouth.

Sometimes I wonder if people become more and more indecisive in this day and age because there are too many options. People become overwhelmed with choices and end up not knowing what they want. Sometimes you know what you want but then the option of another sparks curiosity, so do you pick the other unknown or stick with what you know? Or what if you don’t know what you want and you’re hoping that seeing the options will help you decide. But then at that moment, there’s so much to consume you just can’t pick. Two examples that always come to mind are toothpaste and orange juice. Look at the toothpaste aisle. And literally its almost the whole aisle or at least one side with rows and rows. There’s all kinds of brands and each brand has specific focuses. So Colgate, Crest, or Aquafresh? Gel or Cream? Peppermint or Spearmint? Plaque remover, whitening, tartar control, or all of the above? Seriously! You wonder why people have trouble choosing things. OJ. Florida, Tropicana, Minute Maid? Low pulp, no pulp, some pulp, heavy pulp? Low acid, calcium, vitamin d, country style, etc. I don’t know, it seems kind of crazy when you think about it. But I really think there must be some correlation with indecisiveness and too many options. I also really do think people are more indecisive these days compared to people 5-10 years ago and that in 5-10 years we will be even more indecisive.

Stress is a powerful thing. Its amazing how much it can effect you mentally and physically. There was a period about two weeks ago for a period of about a month where I was extremely stressed out. It was mentally and physically exhausting. It let up for a bit. Now its back. I’ve been in situations where I’ve had a lot of anxiety based on the anticipation of something, but never has it affected me in my sleep, while I was sleeping. There are always the few hours where you can’t fall asleep but you eventually do or you don’t. But I don’t think it has ever made me wake up every few hours during the night and the only thing I could think of was the upcoming event. That happened the other night and it was horrible. The fact that I was so bothered by something that I could not sleep throughout the whole night is intense. It’s not like I just kept waking up, its that when I woke up my thoughts were of the dread of the event and only that. It can’t go on like this. People cannot survive and deal with constant high levels of stress. Its just not good for you. Especially me. I need to feel calm and relaxed. I need to be okay.

I went to my brother’s high school graduation the other day. It’s crazy to think that its been quite a few years since I graduated high school. Just being there made me so happy. I’m so proud of him. I also thought it was pretty neat that in the program, his name was listed in the schedule of events. He, as the president of the entertainment unit, directed the band for the alma mater, one last time. It was good to see him. Congratulations bro, I know you’ll do great things!

What are you waiting for?