Fragmented update

My thinking is a little fragmented today, so here’s an update on 8 aspects of my life in one or two sentences each:

In my rush to get home this weekend, I forgot my webcam, so I won’t have any video updates this break.

I’m a little disappointed that my investigative report on Blackboard didn’t generate the response that I would have liked it to.  Maybe all those outages frustrated me a lot more than everyone else.

I was given an old book of the writings of Kahlil Gibran by my aunt Mary Ellen for Christmas, and I am really excited about reading them!  She didn’t know I read The Prophet over the summer, so how’s that for an amazing coincidence?

I knew the new Classic Crime CD The Silver Cord would be good, but it turned out to be more than I expected!  I’m really enjoying listening to it (thanks Isaac).

I am going to Kylee B. and Tim S.’s wedding tomorrow in Washington, IN with Amanda.  It will be good to reconnect with a bunch of my old alumni friends.

I’m psyched about meeting up with my high school friend Brandon P. on Tuesday.  I’ve got a feeling it will be the highlight of break.

The pharmacy where I used to work has asked my grandma twice this week to have me call them when I get into town.  I’m avoiding calling them for a while, because I know they’ll put me to work on a holiday.

Looking ahead, this break, spring break, and most of February 2010 are the last breaks I will have for a very long time.  I need to be putting them to better use.

One way

Suppose a man from out of town asks you how to get from Lafayette to Louisville.  “Take I-65 south until you cross the Ohio River,” you’d say.  There’s really only one way.

Now suppose you ask yourself how to get from where you are in life to where you want to be.  Think about that for a while; my answer comes a bit later.

One of my friends from high school asked himself this question and his journey has inspired me more than any other man’s quest for self-discovery.  Brandon asked himself where he wanted to be, and his answer was to help other people get out pornography addiction.  Now he works at XXXChurch.com in Las Vegas.  Watch this video to get an idea of what he is doing (this video requires a pretty fast processor though, which I don’t have) — he appears just after the 8 minute mark.  In the video, he says that he has dreamed of working for X3 since he was a junior in high school.  He knew where he wanted to be and saw only one way to get there.  He now goes where Jesus would go, saving the lost who many feel uncomfortable even mentioning.  He absolutely loves his job, and I love how his past has given his life meaning and passion.

On Monday, I turned in what was described as “the most important handout of your life.”  It was a questionnaire asking us where and what we want to do on clerkship rotations all next year.  Here is one question:

 

I used to dread answering this question.  There are so many options and I didn’t know which way to choose.  Now I know that, for me, there’s really only one way.  I love the feeling of just knowing in my heart what the Lord has planned for me.  It’s as clear to me as guiding a man to Louisville.  So I’m going to CA, TX, or IL and helping those with HIV/AIDS.  I want to go where Jesus would go, helping the lost who many feel uncomfortable even mentioning.  Just like Brandon, I won’t forget what my past has taught me and will use it to give my life meaning.

I haven’t seen Brandon in over 4 years; we only talk through e-mail.  But we’re meeting up over Christmas and it’s going to be LEGENDARY!