The Climb

 

It's Wednesday and it's madness. Registration for classes took place this week. Here's mine:

There are a lot of implications, assumptions, epiphanies embedded within this schedule. First, there's only 2 classes, 6 units. I'm only taking 2 classes next year because that is all I need to graduate. I have two college classes left of my college career, my educational career. This is it, the big kahuna. Also, if you notice, these are both Bible classes. No general education classes, no film classes, no art classes, just straight up Bible. I have heard nothing but GREAT things about these two classes and I am ecstatic to focus, for the first time in my life, on Bible classes. Typically, my art/film classes dominate my schooling, sending the Bible classes to the deep end to doggie-paddle. Not this semester. Bible classes are controlling this swimming pool. Lastly, due to the minimalist structure of this coming semester, there will be more time to take on the world. Personal projects, freelance projects, creative projects will have time to breathe, will have time to fester outside of the educational world. Next semester will serve, as least I predict it will, as a solid transition between the said educational world and the said "real world." As always though, this is all SUBJECT TO CHANGE. 

So last week was Thanksgiving. I'm ALL ABOUT Thanksgiving. Here's what I posted on Facebook (I've realized taking screenshots such as this one keys you into the emotion of the actual day, rather than a recollection of the emotion of the actual day, knawatimean?).

 

Thanksgiving is an amazing holiday. It was great being home, with the fam bam and gram. It was great being away from classes, away from campus. Even though there was oh so much work to be done, being away from classes was a rest in itself. It was a great time of revitalization, eating eating eating, and resting. Thanksgiving is an amazing holiday.

Last week, or should I say two, I mentioned the rock climbing trip, "one of the funnest most bestest trips of my college career." Folks, it really was. Here's why: rock climbing was described to me as both a solo sport and a team sport. Here's why: rock climbing is very much solo, you climb by yourself, you depend on yourself to get to the top. You yourself choose to keep going, to give up, to try a different route, to lunge, to jump, to try again. However, MUCH of rock climbing is the reliance on the belayer, the encouragement by other "teammates" and our teach Dave Bedell, the excitement of everyone when you or another teammate reaches the top. And because of this, everyone on this trip was in it together, everyone made it to the top every time. Seeing "teammates" overcome the obstacles of the rock and their own personal vendettas? INCREDIBLE. This paragraph failed before it even began in describing the authenticity of the trip, words aren't enough. Scratch that, there's one word that described it:

SPEECHLESS.

Here's are photos I snapped. Joshua Tree is beautifully beautiful.

Here's our group, taken by the guy two pictures up.

Can't even begin to describe it. People told me "the rock climbing trip is the best thing ever." I somewhat believed them, but I thought "I'm sure it will be great, but it can't be THAT great, best ever? Naw. There's no way." After I got back, I was the one saying "the rock climbing trip is the best thing ever." Sleeping in tents in 25 degree temperatures, cooking by flashlight, climbing rocks I never thought were climbable, enjoying the company of a FANTASTIC new group of friends. It's too much, too great. THE BEST THING EVER.



This post is complete. It's ended. This the end. Go explore somewhere, somewhere you've never ventured before. Learn something new, try it out, experiment. People don't do that enough.

beeday

It's November 14th, 2012.  The day after November 13, 2012, the day of my 22nd birthday. Birthday's are funky things, I suppose the reason is because it comes once a year, noting the annual recycling of the human body. Once a year, I recognize I am a year older. That's it. I am 365 days older than I was last year. A birthday official-izes that. Nevertheless, it was a good day. I slept in, my three hour class didn't happen, and then I wrote a paper and prepared for a final rock climbing exam. The final went well, although I am BUMMED rock climbing is over (I'll touch on that later). Then I headed to my sister Melanie's house where she so graciously hosted a fun birthday shindig! Friends from all walks of my life showed up and it was a fantastic time of socializing. Side note: seeing friends from one walk of my life meet friends from another walk of my life is pretty fantastic. In the end, my birthday was a good one, people are kind. I wrote this on my facebook last night:

This all holds true.

I also enjoyed returning to the ancient days of my birthday. For my 18th birthday, I tried out a birthday party for the first time since 2001. Check out this motley crew: 

Want to see all the pictures from this wild event? Here are the facebook albums, back when facebook albums could hold a maximum of 60 low-res photos. OH, how times have changed.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.43751987753.68453.714162753

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.43746092753.68445.714162753

This is crazy to look back on as well, the beginnings of my creative voice within graphic design.

The invitation:

And here's the blog post for some fun writingz: http://emliv.blogspot.com/2008/11/18-yo.html



SO, rock climbing. I went on a rock climbing trip this last weekend with the rock climbing PE class at Biola University. I have ONE thing to say (because I will talk, explain, and show pictures of this trip hopefully next week): this rock climbing was trip was one of the funnest most bestest trips of my college career. I'm all giddy, like a little kid. It was SPECTACULAR. I'll tell you about it soon.


Unfortunately, this trip took the entire weekend so I am LOADED with work to do. This will have to be in for this edition of "It's Wednesday!" Thanks for reading. Without you, this blog would still exist but the motivation to write wouldn't really. I am encouraged over and over by you, the reader, to continue utilizing this free web service we like to call "Blogger" to expel and derive and enunciate on short cusps of my life.

You're the best. Keep being the best. Tell someone else they're the best and that they should keep being the best. Then, tell them to tell someone else that they're the best and that they should keep being the best. The cycle continues and all of a sudden the whole world is encouraged (or just really egocentric).

You're the best.

SURPRISE!

Busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy bee.

It's actually quite absurd. Never before have I been going, constantly, for days, weeks, months. A to-do list that is requires daily pursuit but seems to grow as the days go on. Don't get me wrong, I'm having the time of my life BUT the amount of "stuff" that needs to get done, the petty things, the social things, the school things, the career things, the identity things, the fun things, the annoying things, the required things, the overwhelming things, the underwhelming things, the friendly things, the THINGS. SO MANY THINGS. So many good things, so many necessary things.

Intentionality has become an essential part of my life. Historically, I have had the problem of overcommitting, saying "yes" to to many things. In the last few months, I have been intentional with how I spend my time and YES it has not always worked out as planned. For instance, social media often presents a fantastic way NOT to use your time wisely. This has been an area of struggle for me, so I took note and sought to eliminate the time wasted. I have to be intentional in friendships. If I let it, my schoolwork/funwork/filmwork could EASILY take up ALL my time. I have a deep passion for these artistic mediums and I could pretty quickly become a recluse. BUT, people drive me. Relationships drive me. And you know what the problem is? THERE'S SO MANY GREAT PEOPLE. How does one effectively maintain and grow friendships? Intentionality. In order for a relationship to work, there MUST be intentionality in the mix; spending time, having fun, chattin, livin life, all of the above. If I became a video-monk and festered in front of the computer, all my relationships would fall apart. It's simple. So, that said, balancing schoolwork with funwork with friendwork is no easy task. I've had a hard time with it.

And then, it's ironic, this blog. This blog is a perfect example of a "waste" of time. This blog is not helping my schooling, not furthering my career opportunities, and is encouraging the sit-in-front-of-the-computer side of me. What's funny too is that half the time, I talk about "how much work I have to do" or how "I'm SO overwhelmed with stuff," but yet I have time to "waste" writing these "useless, meaningless" words on some website. With every blog post, I seriously consider stopping. What is the point of this thing? Once a week, Wednesdays, I write about "stuff." Anything. I write on this blog about this blog. What's the point? But here's the thing, and here's what's ironic about the whole deal: this blog has proved itself COMPLETELY worth it TIME & TIME AGAIN. Looking back on old blog posts not only triggers beautiful, fantastic, priceless memories, but also serves as a record of my journey through personhood. Embedded within these lines are thoughts, actions, and ideas about how to live this bizarre thing called life. This public journal, which in and of itself is terrifying, is documenting the life of this crazy dude named Morgan Lott.

Game on.


Know what else is funny? This is a stream of consciousness blog. Nothing's planned, nothing's thought out ahead of time. I start writing and what happens happens. I genuinely was just going to write "Busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy busy bee." and THAT'S IT. And then, so typically, the words begin flowing and all of a sudden a deep, philosophical blog post is written about the very idea that this blog is a waste of time and I should be spending my time elsewhere. The irony is overbearing. This also needs to be said: WORRY is AWFUL. I am blessed to avoid worry in most situations, you know why? I'm confident God's got it all in His hands. I'm on a track, not to success, not to popularity, not to riches, I'm on a track to strengthen and grow God's kingdom through my work, relationships, family, and everything in between. I trust that this STRAIGHT ABSURDITY OF A LIFE is a training ground, preparing me for what is to come. God's got BIG plans for ALL of us. Worry kills any hope of recognizing those plans.

If you read this far, I commend you. You have just peered into one of the deeper entries of this here blog. REALTALK.



In other news, just yesterday Mr. Barack Obama was reelected to serve a second term as President of the United States of America. I revisited my blog post after t

Have a great day today. Get outside and go for a walk. Any distance. Could be 10 meters. But here's the catch: during your first step, appreciate your ability to walk.



And to those of you who CANNOT walk, get outside anyway. Fresh air is enough rejuvenate any slowing soul. During your time outside, appreciate your ability to even be outside.